The US has decided to pull its remaining troops from Syria, which number around 1,000, after gradual drawdowns over the past months, according to US media reports
Citing US officials, The Wall Street Journal said the withdrawal is expected to take place over the next two months.
The report said Washington concluded that a US military presence in Syria is no longer required, citing the collapse of the YPG terror organisation.
The US military already finalised its pullout from the Al Tanf garrison, a key outpost near the borders of Syria, Jordan and Iraq, as well as from the Al Shaddadi base in northeastern Syria earlier this month, it noted.
The report further said the withdrawal was not linked to the current US naval and air deployments in the Middle East, which are aimed at potential strikes on Iran if nuclear talks collapse.
It said Iran had also warned that it would target American forces in the region in response to any US air strikes.
Citing a senior US official, it said the withdrawal was underway as the Syrian government takes over counterterrorism efforts, adding that US forces can still respond to any Daesh threats.
The Syrian government recently took control of the strategic Al Tanf base located at the junction of the Iraqi and Jordanian borders after the US withdrew after nearly 10 years.
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 Daesh across a stretch of hundreds of kilometres between the Jordanian border and the Euphrates River.
