An International MaxxPro, a Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) armored fighting vehicle designed by Navistar Defense. Photo: The Cradle.
Forces loyal to self-appointed Syrian President Abu al-Julani took over the the US’s Qasrak Base in Hasakah Governorate on Thursday
Syrian government forces took control of the last US base in the country on 16 April in a move that marked the end of the US occupation of the country under the pretext of fighting ISIS.
The Syrian military moved into the Qasrak Base in Hasakah Governorate in north-eastern Syria on Thursday following the US withdrawal.
The US withdrew from its bases in Shaddadi in eastern Syria and Al-Tanf on the Syria–Jordan–Iraq border in February.
The Syrian Foreign Ministry said Washington had decided to “complete its military mission” in the country. “The Syrian state is today fully capable of leading counter-terrorism efforts from within, in co-operation with the international community,” it said.
The ministry “welcomes the completed handover of military sites where United States forces were previously present in Syria to the Syrian government,” adding that “the handover of these sites was carried out… in full coordination between the Syrian and American governments.”
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US Central Command (CENTCOM) announced it had completed the process of “turning over all of our major bases in Syria.” It said US forces “continue to support partner-led counter-terrorism efforts,” in a reference to ISIS.
US troops first occupied northeast Syria during the 14-year war to topple the government of former Syrian president Bashar al-Assad. The US military claimed its occupation of Syrian territory was necessary to contain ISIS, despite Washington’s covert support for the terror group during the war.
US troops helped deny Assad’s government the oil resources needed to rebuild the country and to withstand US economic sanctions.
Self-appointed Syrian President Abu al-Julani, who came to power in December 2024 in Damascus with US support, is himself a former ISIS commander who went by the nom de guerre Abu Mohammad al-Julani.
Before withdrawing, US forces relocated thousands of ISIS prisoners from Syria to Iraq amid fighting between al-Julani’s forces and Kurdish fighters from the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).
The US had partnered with the SDF to occupy northeast Syria before shifting to partner with al-Julani’s forces in Damascus in January.
