U.S. scales back military presence in Syria, policy shifts

Published 03/06/2025, 15:46
U.S. scales back military presence in Syria, policy shifts

Investing.com -- The United States is reducing its military presence in Syria, according to the new U.S. special envoy, Thomas Barrack. The number of bases will be decreased to one from eight, marking a significant shift in U.S. policies in the country. This comes in response to the lack of success of past policies over the last century.

Barrack, who was appointed as special envoy by President Donald Trump last month, made these comments during an interview with Turkish broadcaster NTV on Monday. This appointment followed the unexpected lifting of U.S. sanctions on Syria by the Trump administration.

Currently, the U.S. military has approximately 2,000 troops stationed in Syria, primarily in the northeastern region. Their mission is to collaborate with local forces to prevent a resurgence of the Islamic State, which had seized large areas of Iraq and Syria in 2014 but was subsequently repelled.

Following the ousting of former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in December, the United States and other nations are re-engaging with Damascus under new leader Ahmed al-Sharaa. Barrack, who also serves as the U.S. ambassador to Turkey, raised the American flag over the ambassador’s residence in Damascus last week, a first since 2012.

When questioned about the future of U.S. policy in Syria and potential troop withdrawal, Barrack stated that the current policy would greatly differ from those of the past century, as none of them have proven successful. The reduction in the number of bases is a key part of this policy shift.

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