US to cut troop presence in Syria to less than 1,000

The US military will reduce its troop presence in Syria by about half, the Pentagon announced on Friday, cutting the number of soldiers to fewer than 1,000 in the coming months.

President Donald Trump has long complained about America's military obligations in north-eastern Syria, which began under Barack Obama after ISIS seized large parts of the country and neighbouring Iraq in 2014. He ordered a “full” withdrawal from Syria in 2018 during his first term but the Pentagon pushed back and then-defence secretary Jim Mattis resigned over the issue.

Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said US forces in Syria would undergo a “consolidation” to locations in the country.

“As this consolidation takes place, consistent with President Trump’s commitment to peace through strength, US Central Command will remain poised to continue strikes against the remnants of ISIS in Syria,” Mr Parnell said in a statement. “We will also work closely with capable and willing coalition partners to maintain pressure on ISIS and respond to any other terrorist threats that arise.”

The number of troops remaining in Syria will be similar to the levels seen there until the Hamas-led attack on Israel on October 7, 2023. Shortly after, the Pentagon under then-president Joe Biden increased the number of troops in Syria to more than 2,000.

Pro-Iran militants repeatedly targeted US forces in Iraq and Syria following the outbreak of the Gaza war, but the US responded with heavy strikes on Tehran-linked targets. Friday's announcement comes on the eve of a second round of indirect talks between Washington and Tehran over Iran's nuclear programme.

As rebels fighting Bashar Al Assad's regime made lightning gains in December that resulted in the president fleeing to Russia, Mr Trump said Washington should “not get involved”.

After years of combat, Iraq's prime minister announced a final victory over ISIS in December 2017, while the Syrian Democratic Forces proclaimed the defeat of the group's “caliphate” in March 2019 after seizing its final bastion in Syria.

Some ISIS fighters continue to operate in the countryside of Iraq and Syria, and US forces conduct strikes and raids to help prevent the group's resurgence.

Washington stepped up military action against ISIS in Syria in the wake of Mr Al Assad's overthrow, though it has more recently shifted its focus to attacking Yemen's Houthi rebels, who have been firing on international shipping since late 2023.

While the US is reducing its forces in Syria, Iraq has also sought an end to the US-led coalition's presence there, where Washington has said it has about 2,500 troops.

Baghdad and Washington announced in September that the coalition would end its military mission in federal Iraq by the end of this year, and in the autonomous Kurdistan region by perhaps September 2026, but the timeline is subject to conditions on the ground.