Latest news with #Barrack
American Military News
4 days ago
- Politics
- American Military News
US military cutting 7 of 8 military bases in Syria, top Trump official says
U.S. Special Envoy Thomas Barrack indicated on Monday that the U.S. military is planning to reduce its presence in Syria from eight bases to one base and that President Donald Trump's administration plans to significantly change its policy with the country. According to Reuters, Barrack was appointed as the special envoy to Syria last month after Trump removed U.S. sanctions against Syria. Following the removal of Syria's former President Bashar al-Assad from power in December, the United States and other countries throughout the world are engaging with the new government under transitional Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, according to the outlet. Reuters reported that the U.S. military currently has roughly 2,000 troops deployed in Syria, with the majority of the U.S. troops located in the northeastern region of the country. The outlet noted that the U.S. military forces in Syria remain deployed as part of an effort to prevent the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) from retaking the land that the terrorist organization captured in Syria and Iraq in 2014. READ MORE: US military urges African allies to increase 'burden sharing' According to Reuters, when asked on Monday about the Trump administration's policy plans with regard to Syria and whether the U.S. military is considering a withdrawal of U.S. troops from the country, Barrack told Turkish broadcaster NTV, 'What I can assure you is that our current Syria policy will not be close to the Syria policy of the last 100 years, because none of these have worked.' During Monday's interview, Barrack explained that the Trump administration's change in policy with regard to Syria includes a reduction of U.S. military bases in the country, according to an interview transcript obtained by Reuters. Barrack indicated that the United States is planning to reduce its presence from eight bases in Syria to one base. Reuters reported that two security sources previously told Reuters in April that the U.S. military had relocated vehicles and equipment from the Deir el-Zor in eastern Syria to Hasakah in northeastern Syria. One of the anonymous security sources told Reuters that the U.S. military's plan to consolidate resources in the Hasakah region of Syria included removing U.S. troops deployed in the Deir el-Zor region. According to Reuters, an anonymous U.S. State Department official also claimed that the U.S. military's presence in Syria would be reduced 'if and when appropriate' based on various conditions.
NBC News
6 days ago
- General
- NBC News
The U.S. military will cut 7 out of 8 bases in Syria, Trump administration envoy says
The United States will scale down its military presence in Syria to one base from eight and U.S. policies will shift in the country 'because none of them worked' over the last century, the new U.S. special envoy has said. Thomas Barrack, who President Donald Trump named special envoy last month shortly after he unexpectedly lifted U.S. sanctions on Syria, made the comments in an interview with Turkish broadcaster NTV late Monday. The U.S. military has about 2,000 U.S. troops in Syria, mostly in the northeast. They are working with local forces to prevent a resurgence of Islamic State, which in 2014 seized large swaths of Iraq and Syria but was later pushed back. Since rebels ousted Syria's former President Bashar al-Assad in December, the United States and other countries are re-engaging with Damascus under new leader Ahmed al-Sharaa. Barrack, also U.S. ambassador to Turkey, raised the American flag over the ambassador's residence in Damascus last week for the first time since 2012. When asked how the Trump administration will shape its Syria policy and whether the U.S. is considering troop withdrawal from Syria, Barrack said: 'What I can assure you is that our current Syria policy will not be close to the Syria policy of the last 100 years, because none of these have worked.' Reducing the number of bases to one from eight was an important part of that shift, he said, according to an interview transcript.
Korea Herald
6 days ago
- General
- Korea Herald
US to scale down its military bases in Syria
ANKARA, Turkey (Reuters) -- The US will scale down its military presence in Syria to one base from eight and US policies will shift in the country "because none of them worked" over the last century, the new US special envoy has said. Thomas Barrack, who President Donald Trump named special envoy last month shortly after he unexpectedly lifted US sanctions on Syria, made the comments in an interview with Turkish broadcaster NTV late on Monday. The US military has about 2,000 US troops in Syria, mostly in the northeast. They are working with local forces to prevent a resurgence of Islamic State, which in 2014 seized large swaths of Iraq and Syria but was later pushed back. Since rebels ousted Syria's former President Bashar Assad in December, the US and other countries are re-engaging with Damascus under new leader Ahmed al-Sharaa. Barrack, also US ambassador to Turkey, raised the American flag over the ambassador's residence in Damascus last week for the first time since 2012. When asked how the Trump administration will shape its Syria policy and whether the US is considering troop withdrawal from Syria, Barrack said, "What I can assure you is that our current Syria policy will not be close to the Syria policy of the last 100 years, because none of these have worked." Reducing the number of bases to one from eight was an important part of that shift, he said, according to an interview transcript. Two security sources in bases where US troops are deployed told Reuters in April that military equipment and vehicles had already moved out of eastern Deir el-Zor and were being consolidated in the province of Hasakah. One of the sources said the consolidation plan involved pulling all US troops out of Deir el-Zor province. A US State Department official said separately that the military presence would be reduced "if and when appropriate" based on conditions, adding troops are routinely calibrated based on operational needs and contingencies. Barrack said that the Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces were a US ally and a "very important factor" for the US Congress, and that directing them to integrate into a new Syrian government was also very important. "Everyone needs to be reasonable in their expectations," he said. The SDF is the main ally in a US coalition against Islamic State militants in Syria. It is spearheaded by the YPG militia, which Ankara sees as an extension of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party. The PKK decided to disband last month after a 40-year conflict with the Turkish state. Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said last week that the SDF was using "stalling tactics," despite a deal with the Syrian government to integrate into Syria's armed forces.
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
US to reduce military presence in Syria, keeping only one base operational
The United States will shut down most of its military bases in Syria, consolidating operations to a single location, as part of a policy overhaul announced by its new special envoy. Thomas Barrack, appointed by President Donald Trump last month as the US ambassador to Turkiye and special envoy for Syria, said the shift marks a rejection of Washington's past century of failed approaches in Syria. In an interview with the Turkish broadcaster NTV on Monday, Barrack said the troop drawdown and base closures reflect a strategic recalibration. 'What I can assure you is that our current Syria policy will not be close to the Syria policy of the last 100 years because none of these have worked,' he said. US forces are expected to withdraw from seven of eight bases, including those in Deir Az Zor province in eastern Syria, with remaining operations centred in Hasakah in the northeast. Two security sources told the Reuters news agency that US military hardware and personnel have already started relocating. 'All troops are being pulled from Deir Az Zor,' one source told Reuters in April.A US Department of State official later said troop levels would be adjusted 'if and when appropriate', depending on operational demands. Roughly 2,000 American soldiers remain in Syria, largely embedded with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), a key partner in the US-led campaign against ISIL (ISIS). The SDF, dominated by the People's Protection Units (YPG), a Kurdish militia, has been a longstanding point of contention with NATO ally Turkiye, which views it as linked to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). The PKK, which recently announced its disbandment, fought a decades-long armed rebellion against the Turkish state. Barrack called the SDF 'a very important factor' for the US Congress, stressing that integrating the group into Syria's national army is now a priority. 'Everyone needs to be reasonable in their expectations,' he said. Since the ouster of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in December, international engagement with Damascus has resumed under new President Ahmed al-Sharaa. Barrack recently raised the US flag over the ambassador's residence in Damascus for the first time since 2012. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan criticised the SDF last week, accusing it of 'stalling tactics' despite its agreement to join the Syrian armed forces.
Middle East Eye
7 days ago
- Business
- Middle East Eye
US backs Syrian plan to absorb foreign fighters into national army: Report
The US appears to have backed a plan by the Syrian government to assimilate thousands of foreign rebel fighters into the Syrian national army, Reuters reported on Monday. An estimated 3,500 foreign fighters, mainly Uighurs from China and Central Asia, would join a new unit called the 84th Syrian army division, also comprised of Syrians, three Syrian defence officials told Reuters. Tom Barrack, the US ambassador to Turkey and President Donald Trump's special envoy to Syria, told Reuters that the US government sought transparency and said there was an understanding between the US and Syria. Later on Tuesday, Barrack praised Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, saying he had taken'meaningful steps' on foreign fighters. Barrack said the two met in Istanbul on Saturday. Barrack said it was a better strategy to contain the fighters than exclude them, as many are "very loyal" to the new government. This approach reverses the US's previous demand that the new leadership exclude foreign fighters. New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters The change is seen to be a result of Trump's visit to the Middle East in May, when he agreed to meet Syria's new leader and lift the US's long-term sanctions on Syria. Syria has been under sanctions since 1979, when the US labelled Damascus a state sponsor of terrorism under the government of Hafez al-Assad, father of deposed Syrian president, Bashar al-Assad. Barrack also told Turkish media that the US would be reducing its military presence in the country. Foreign fighters Syria's Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and linked groups were instrumental in toppling Bashar last year after a 13-year civil war between rebel groups and the former leader. Jordan's king warned US against assassinating Syria's Sharaa before Trump meeting Read More » HTS was comprised of many Uighurs who mostly came from China during the Syrian civil war and were persecuted in China. Uighurs are one of 55 recognised ethnic minorities in China and are Turkic-speaking. They are largely Sunni Muslims and live in the country's northwest Xinjiang province, which has had intermittent autonomy over the past few centuries. Most of the Chinese and Central Asian fighters belong to the Turkistan Islamic Party, designated a terrorist group by China. A Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said in a statement to Reuters that "China hopes that Syria will oppose all forms of terrorism and extremist forces in response to the concerns of the international community." The Chinese government is accused of detaining more than one million Uighurs and other Muslim minorities in the eastern Xinjiang region and subjecting the community to abuses some have labelled a "genocide". China denies all allegations of abuse. Western powers have been concerned about foreign fighters in Syria. Sharaa has argued that bringing foreign fighters into the national army is less of a security risk than discarding them, as they would be more susceptible to being recruited by al-Qaeda or the Islamic State militant groups. The National reported that foreign fighters will be granted Syrian citizenship.
