By Micah Jonah, February 19, 2026
The United States is preparing to withdraw the nearly 1,000 troops it still has stationed in Syria, according to a report by The Wall Street Journal.
The newspaper, citing three unnamed US officials, said the pullout is expected to take place over the next two months as part of a broader shift in Washington’s Syria policy under President Donald Trump.
Although the development has not been independently confirmed, the US military last week acknowledged its withdrawal from the al-Tanf base in southern Syria, located near the borders with Iraq and Jordan.
US Central Command (CENTCOM) described the move as an “orderly departure” and part of a deliberate, conditions-based transition. The al-Tanf base had served as a strategic hub for operations by the global coalition against ISIL (ISIS), which once controlled large swathes of territory in Syria and Iraq before suffering major territorial losses in 2017.
According to the report, the broader withdrawal is not linked to the recent buildup of US naval and air forces elsewhere in the Middle East amid rising tensions with Iran. The Trump administration has recently increased its military presence near Iran, including deploying the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R Ford to the region.
Officials quoted in the report said the troop withdrawal from Syria follows a US-brokered agreement aimed at restructuring Syria’s security architecture and consolidating state authority after years of divided control.
The agreement provides for the integration of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) Washington’s key partner in the fight against ISIL into the Syrian national army. US officials have described the arrangement as a step toward national reconciliation and stability.
The deal was reportedly reached on January 29 following renewed efforts by Syrian government forces under interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa to reassert control over areas in the northeast that had remained outside Damascus’s authority. Prior to the agreement, clashes between government troops and the SDF had heightened fears of a wider conflict.
Security analysts say a full US withdrawal could significantly alter the balance of power in Syria, particularly in territories previously secured with American backing.
If confirmed, the pullout would mark a major turning point in US involvement in the Syrian conflict, which has spanned more than a decade and drawn in multiple regional and global powers.
