US military begins withdrawing from key base in northeastern Syria

Al JazeeraEN 2 min read 100% complete February 23, 2026 at 01:05 PM

AI Summary

medium article 2 min

The US military has begun withdrawing from a key base in northeastern Syria, Qasrak, and redeploying its forces to northern Iraq. The pullout is expected to be completed in several weeks. Heavy machinery and personnel were seen moving out of the base on Monday, bound for the Kurdish region of northern Iraq. This marks the first phase of a withdrawal that has been planned since at least January. The US had previously reduced its military presence in Syria from 1,500 personnel in July to around 900 currently. The Syrian army gained control of the al-Shaddadi base on February 15, prompting the US to initiate this withdrawal.

Key Entities & Roles

Key Player Opposition Context

Deir Az Zor 30% Donald Trump 40% Al-Shaddadi base ×240% Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) 40% Al Jazeera ×250% Qasrak base ×360% Hasakah ×260% Kurdish ×270% Iraq ×370% United States ×590% Syria ×790%

Keywords

us military withdrawal 100% syria 90% kurdish forces 80% northern iraq 70% military base 70% qasrak base 60% redeployment 60% syrian democratic forces 50% al-shaddadi base 40% al-omar oilfield 40%