Has America’s decade-long military presence in Syria come to an end?

The Syrian army announced on Thursday that they have taken control of Al Tanf, a key military base, marking an end to nearly ten years of American presence at the strategic junction of the Iraqi and Jordanian borders.

Roughly 200 US troops previously stationed at the base have relocated 22 kilometres to Tower 22, a US facility in neighbouring Jordan, according to Syrian officials.

US troops used the base mainly to combat Daesh and threats from Iran-backed groups, deploying surveillance balloons to monitor their activities across the Jordanian border and the Euphrates River.

Al Tanf is located along what is considered the shortest overland supply route used by Iran to move fighters and weapons from Iraq into Syria.

The evacuation comes as President Al Sharaa wrestles control of northeastern Syria from the YPG terror group and the broader US military presence in the country faces growing scrutiny in Washington.

In late January, the Wall Street Journal reported that the US was considering a "complete withdrawal" of troops from Syria, following the collapse of the YPG/SDF terror organisation.

The major shift in power structure following the collapse of the Bashar al Assad regime in December 2024 has “led the Pentagon to question the viability of the American military’s mission in Syria,” the report said, citing three US officials.

There is no reason to keep American troops in Syria if the YPG completely disbands, the officials told the American newspaper.

Prior to the latest evacuations, it was believed that there were around 1,500 US soldiers based in Syria.

A full withdrawal would end a 12-year-old US military mission in the country, which then-President Barack Obama launched under the pretext of fighting Daesh during Syria’s civil war.

Omer Ozkizilcik, a Syria analyst at the Atlantic Council, agrees that a full withdrawal appears increasingly likely, but notes that any future rearrangements remain to be seen.

“We need to understand this withdrawal correctly,” Ozkizilcik tells TRT World.

“This does not mean that the United States will not establish new bases elsewhere in Syria, nor does it mean that it will refrain from developing a new doctrine, a new approach, or a new paradigm suited to the new period,” he adds.

While Washington may be facing pressure to leave northern Syria, Ozkizilcik notes that the potential for a US military presence south of Damascus cannot be ruled out.

“That possibility is within the realm of consideration, and there are already certain indications and signs pointing in that direction,” he says.

The United States has weighed reducing its presence in Syria in the past. In 2018, President Donald Trump declared a complete withdrawal of around 2,000 US troops, a move that prompted then-Defence Secretary Jim Mattis to resign.

Years later, the fall of Assad and Washington’s warmer stance toward Al Sharaa’s government have weakened the US justification for staying in Syria to fight Daesh, with officials signalling that security responsibilities should now shift to Damascus.

“Damascus is now both willing and positioned to take over security responsibilities, including control of Daesh detention facilities and camps,” Deputy US Representative to the UN Tammy Bruce said in late January during a UN Security Council session on Syria.

“The United States extends its support to the Syrian government as it works to stabilise the country, rebuild national institutions, and fulfill the aspirations of all Syrians for peace, security, and prosperity,” she said.