US forces complete withdrawal from key military base in Syria: CENTCOM
Syrian government has taken control of the strategic base at the junction of the Iraqi and Jordanian borders following the US withdrawal, the government sources say.
The US military has completed its withdrawal from the al Tanf base in southern Syria after nearly a decade, the US Central Command (CENTCOM) confirmed.
“US forces remain poised to respond to any Daesh threats that arise in the region as we support partner-led efforts to prevent the terrorist network’s resurgence,” CENTCOM commander Adm. Brad Cooper said in a statement on Thursday.
“Maintaining pressure on Daesh is essential to protecting the US homeland and strengthening regional security,” he added.
CENTCOM said the departure from al Tanf Garrison was completed on February 11 as part of a “deliberate and conditions-based transition” under Combined Joint Task Force – Operation Inherent Resolve (CJTF-OIR), established in 2014 to fight the Daesh terrorist group.
The Syrian government has taken control of the strategic base at the junction of the Iraqi and Jordanian borders following the US withdrawal, Syrian government sources told Anadolu on Wednesday, saying Syrian Army units deployed there.
The US had used the al Tanf base, which was expanded in 2017 and 2018, along with surveillance balloons deployed there to monitor the military activities of Iran-backed groups and the Daesh terrorist organisation across a stretch of hundreds of kilometres between the Jordanian border and the Euphrates River.