A source told Al Jazeera that a convoy of U.S. forces departed on Friday evening from the Al-Omar and Conoco oil and gas field bases in the eastern countryside of Deir ez-Zor, heading toward the Hasakah countryside.
اضافة اعلان
The source added that the U.S. forces withdrawing from Deir ez-Zor are repositioning at the Qasrak and al-Shaddadi bases in Hasakah, an area largely controlled by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).
Meanwhile, Anadolu Agency reported, citing local sources, that 200 trucks departed from the Conoco and Al-Omar fields toward Hasakah.
The sources noted that the trucks were carrying containers, military vehicles, and pre-fabricated structures.
The U.S. Department of Defense (Pentagon) announced about two weeks ago that it had begun consolidating its forces in Syria under the command of the Combined Joint Task Force – Operation Inherent Resolve.
The Pentagon said the move would reduce the American military presence in Syria to fewer than 1,000 troops over the coming months.
Prior to this announcement, The New York Times reported that the Pentagon was preparing to shut down 3 of its 8 bases in northeastern Syria, a move expected to cut the number of U.S. troops in the region from 2,000 to around 1,400.
According to Anadolu, the U.S. military is currently stationed at 21 bases and military points in the provinces of Hasakah, Raqqa, and Deir ez-Zor—located east of the Euphrates River—as well as Ain al-Arab (Kobani) in northern Aleppo province.
U.S. President Donald Trump had previously indicated the possibility of withdrawing U.S. forces from Syria, while media reports suggested that Pentagon officials recommended keeping around 500 troops to continue operations against ISIS.
— (Al Jazeera)
