Washington, D.C., 19 February (H.S.): The United States is executing a comprehensive withdrawal of its approximately 1,000 troops stationed in Syria, marking a pivotal shift in its regional counterterrorism posture as Damascus pledges to shoulder primary responsibility against Islamic State remnants, according to a Wall Street Journal report corroborated by senior administration sources on Wednesday.
This conditions-based drawdown, described as deliberate by an anonymous official, follows the handover of a strategic base to Syrian forces last week, signaling thawing US-Syrian relations amid the latter's avowed commitment to neutralize ISIS threats independently.
US forces will retain expeditionary capacity to address emergent jihadist perils while supporting partner-led initiatives, obviating the need for a sustained large-scale footprint now that Syria has embraced frontline accountability.
The move caps years of American entrenchment post-2014 against ISIS caliphate, navigating Kurdish alliances and Turkish pressures, with recent strikes underscoring residual vigilance before full disengagement.
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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar
