The U.S. military is planning to withdraw 1,000 remaining troops from Syria over the next two months, according to reports.
The move ends a decadelong military operation meant to combat ISIS in the region.
The complete withdrawal of troops comes as President Donald Trump works with interim Syrian President Ahmed al Sharaa to root out the Islamic terrorist group in Syria. Their efforts appear to have been successful.
The United States struck over 30 ISIS targets in 10 strikes conducted between Feb. 3 and Feb. 12, U.S. Central Command announced over the weekend. The mission came in response to an ISIS attack against U.S. and Syrian forces in Palmyra late last year.
Ahead of the reported withdrawal, CENTCOM disclosed last week that U.S. forces departed the base at al Tanf Garrison in Syria as their operations wind down in the country.
The U.S. has had troops in Syria since 2015. The initial focus of the mission was to support the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces in their fight against the ISIS caliphate.
But now that the SDF is integrated into the Syrian military as part of a fragile truce, a large number of U.S. troops is no longer required.
The U.S. military would still be able to respond to any ISIS threats or attacks in the Middle East should they arise, a senior administration official told the Wall Street Journal.
US READY TO STRIKE IRAN AS EARLY AS THIS WEEKEND, BUT TRUMP UNDECIDED
The decision to withdraw U.S. troops is unrelated to the military buildup of naval warships and fighter jets surrounding Iran and a possible military attack against the Islamic regime, according to administration officials. Reports say strikes could start as soon as this weekend, but that Trump has not yet made a decision.
Military action is dependent on whether the U.S.-Iran talks about a possible nuclear deal fail. In the event of a U.S. attack, Iran has vowed to attack U.S. bases in the region.
