From the Liveblog of
Thursday, February 12, 2026
Syria says it has taken over al-Tanf base vacated by US troops in agreement
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Syria’s Defense Ministry says Syrian army units have taken control of the al-Tanf military base vacated by US troops, following coordination between Syrian and US authorities.
Reuters, quoting two sources briefed on the matter, reported yesterday that US forces had evacuated the al-Tanf base in far northeastern Syria and were heading to Jordan.
The al-Tanf complex is strategically located at the tri-border confluence of Syria, Jordan and Iraq. It was established during Syria’s civil war in 2014 as a key hub for operations by the global coalition against Islamic State jihadist militants.
Syria joined the coalition last November when President Ahmed al-Sharaa visited the White House for talks with US President Donald Trump. Sharaa, a former al-Qaeda commander, had led Islamist rebels who overthrew longtime Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad in December 2024.
The US pullout from al-Tanf follows a Washington-brokered deal to integrate the Syrian Democratic Forces — a Kurdish-led group backed by the US for a decade in the fight against ISIS — into central Syrian institutions.
The United States hailed the January 30 agreement as a milestone toward unity and reconciliation in Syria after the war that fractured the country into rebel fiefdoms.
The United States had about 1,500 troops in Syria, according to a Pentagon announcement in July 2025.
The Times of Israel Community.