Some US troops departing Syria, official says

February 18, 2026 3:20 PM EST

FILE PHOTO: A U.S. military vehicle moves during the transportation of Islamic State detainees from Syria to Iraq, according to a security source from the Syrian Democratic Forces, in Qamishli, Syria, February 8, 2026. REUTERS/Orhan Qereman/File Photo

Feb 18 (Reuters) - Some ‌U.S. ​troops ​are leaving Syria as part of a "deliberate and conditions-based transition," a ‌senior U.S. official said on Wednesday.

The ⁠Wall Street Journal reported the U.S. was ‌withdrawing all of its ‌roughly 1,000 troops from Syria.

"U.S. forces remain poised to respond to any ISIS ​threats that arise in the region as we support partner-led efforts ⁠to prevent the terrorist network’s resurgence," the senior administration ​official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said.

"However U.S. presence at ​scale is no longer ‌required in Syria given the Syrian government’s willingness to take ⁠primary responsibility for combating the terrorist threat within its borders," the official added.

Last week, ⁠the U.S. military said it completed a withdrawal ​from a strategic base in Syria, handing it over to Syrian forces, in the latest ‌sign of strengthening U.S.-Syrian ties that could enable an even ‌larger American drawdown.

(Reporting by Steve Holland ⁠in Washington D.C. ‌Additional reporting by ​Mrinmay Dey in Mexico City, Editing by Franklin Paul and Chris ‌Reese)



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