US Forces Commence Withdrawal from Key Syrian Base: A Strategic Shift

US forces are withdrawing from the Qasrak base in northeastern Syria, shifting military resources to Iraq's Kurdish region. The move is part of a wider drawdown and follows the transfer of accused IS militants to Iraqi prisons. The decision aims to prevent IS resurgence.

US forces have initiated their withdrawal from a strategically important base in northeastern Syria, according to officials on Monday. This move appears to be part of a broader reduction of American military presence in the region.

Security officials from both Iraq and Syria confirmed that US military forces and equipment started relocating from the Qasrak base in Syria to the semi-autonomous Kurdish area in Iraq. Witnesses in Qamishli, Syria, observed a convoy of trucks carrying military vehicles and equipment heading towards the Iraqi border, accompanied by military helicopters.

The US Central Command and Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces have not commented publicly on the withdrawal. This military shift follows the transfer of 5,700 alleged Islamic State detainees from Syria to Iraq, with the aim of putting them on trial and preventing IS from regrouping.