US redeploys troops in Syria, as Washington builds ties with new government - analysis

Reports indicate hundreds of soldiers may be withdrawn, and US forces may move from bases near the Euphrates River to consolidate at one base in eastern Syria.

 Syria’s President Ahmed al-Sharaa looks on, in Aleppo, Syria, May 27, 2025 (photo credit: REUTERS/KHALIL ASHAWI)
Syria’s President Ahmed al-Sharaa looks on, in Aleppo, Syria, May 27, 2025
(photo credit: REUTERS/KHALIL ASHAWI)

The US is redeploying its troops in Syria, as changes in Damascus mean Washington will be able to transform its footprint in the country.

The Syrian shifts have occurred rapidly, as the new government has taken shape in the last six months since the fall of the Assad regime.

The US has also decided to reach out to the new government in Syria and appointed a new envoy, Tom Barrack, who is also its ambassador to Turkey.

The reports that Washington is redeploying troops – withdrawing up to 500 soldiers, according to Jennifer Griffin at Fox News, and moving some from bases near the Euphrates River to bases farther east, near al-Shaddadi – are significant, because these actions will shift the balance of power in part of Syria.

Understanding the US role is important, and it is essential to understand how Washington got here.

 A soldier from the US-led coalition holds the hand of a boy during a joint US- Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) patrol in the countryside of Qamishli in northeastern Syria, February 8, 2024. (credit: REUTERS/ORHAN QEREMAN/FILE PHOTO)
A soldier from the US-led coalition holds the hand of a boy during a joint US- Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) patrol in the countryside of Qamishli in northeastern Syria, February 8, 2024. (credit: REUTERS/ORHAN QEREMAN/FILE PHOTO)

America’s role in Syria is complex and dates back to 2015, when it intervened to fight ISIS. The US began by helping support the formation of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), an outgrowth of the People’s Protection Units (YPG), which was a Kurdish armed group.

The SDF served as an umbrella group with which Washington could more easily work directly in the war on ISIS. The YPG is viewed as a terrorist group by Turkey, a US and NATO ally, and therefore, it was important to keep it institutionally distant despite its prominent role in eastern Syria fighting ISIS.

The US also backed a group of Syrian rebels in southern Syria who became known as the Syrian Free Army (SFA). This is not to be confused with the Free Syrian Army, the umbrella group of Syrian rebel groups. The SFA in Tanf only had several hundred fighters who were trained by the US.

After the fall of the Assad regime, this group integrated with the Syrian army’s 70th Division. It currently patrols parts of southern Syria and helps check ISIS threats and protect an airbase.

The SDF is much larger, with tens of thousands of fighters. It controls Syria east of the Euphrates River.

In early March, SDF leader Mazloum Abdi met with new Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa to iron out a plan to integrate his forces and eastern Syria within the new government.

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This was an important development, and it was backed by the US-led coalition, which consists of American forces under US Central Command.

As such, Washington helped pave the way for engagement with Damascus. Not only did the Pentagon appear on board, but the White House also agreed on this policy in May, when US President Donald Trump met Sharaa in Riyadh.

Since then, the US State Department helped push forward sanctions relief, and Barrack was appointed the new envoy. This ended years in which the US State Department and the Pentagon disagreed on Syria policy, with the Pentagon backing the SDF, and the State Department generally less keen on it.

ONE REASON the US can withdraw troops is because other foreign powers are leaving Syria. During the decade-long civil war, the Russians and Iranians played an important role in Syria – Tehran starting in 2012 and Moscow in 2015. Turkey also invaded northern Syria beginning in 2015 and 2016.

As such, Syria became a place where world powers were fighting. Many countries, including Israel, bombed Syria.

After the fall of the Assad regime, however, things changed. Tehran left Syria, and Moscow was confined to a base near the coast. Washington was the sole major power still involved, but Israel stepped up its attacks and also took over areas along the border.

The number of US troops in Syria has always been an issue of discussion in Washington. There were thought to be several hundred for years, but the real number is believed to be about 2,000. These numbers were supposed to have been reduced in recent months.

The recent reports indicate that the US is revising where it is deployed in Syria. This appears to mean shifting troops from the Euphrates River area farther east.

This is happening as the SDF and Damascus continue talks on unity and integration. It is also made possible by efforts to keep ISIS in check. The Syrian government continues to rebuild its army and graduate new forces.

“According to American officials, three US bases have either been shut down or transferred to the SDF,” North Press Agency, an independent news agency based in eastern Syria, reported. “Among them, al-Omar base has been fully closed, the Conoco base handed over to the SDF, and a smaller outpost vacated.”

A recent interview with Barrack by Turkey’s NTV indicated how the US continues to stand with the SDF. His comments were very different than how other officials, such as former ambassador James Jeffrey, had described the US role in eastern Syria.

Six years ago, the SDF was seen as a temporary, tactical, and transactional relationship by key figures in Washington. Barrack now says the SDF is an ally, and that members of Congress view support for it as important. He is backing its integration into the new Syrian government’s forces.

This is a shift in tone – as important as having the Pentagon and the State Department on board with the White House’s policy, as opposed to how things operated in 2015-2019. Washington’s Syria policy can move forward because of this coordination.

It is also moving forward to prevent a vacuum from forming along the Euphrates River and to encourage stability. With each move of US forces, there is a “trust but verify” aspect to see if things will work out.