Shafaq News– Washington/ Damascus
The Trump administration is weighing options to scale back, potentially to fully withdraw, US forces from Syria, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing US officials.
US officials told the newspaper the review intensified after Syrian government forces moved dangerously close to US positions during operations involving the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), prompting US troops to shoot down at least one drone near a facility, and following an attack within 24 hours on SDF barracks inside a base hosting US personnel.
The report said no final decision has been made, with deliberations also weighing the impact on efforts to contain ISIS and manage detention sites holding thousands of suspected militants and their families.
The developments follow a rapid shift in control across northeastern Syria, after renewed clashes between Syrian government forces and the SDF raised alarms over the security of ISIS detention sites. On January 18, Damascus and the SDF signed a US-brokered agreement providing for the handover of administrative and security authority in Hasakah, Raqqa, and Deir Ez-Zor to Syrian state institutions. The deal followed fighting around prisons, camps, and strategic crossings, but its implementation quickly proved fragile.
Within days, control shifted at key facilities, including Al-Aqtan Prison in Raqqa and Al-Shaddadi Prison in Hasakah, both hosting ISIS detainees, amid mutual accusations of shelling and security breaches. The United Nations also stepped in to manage major camps such as Al-Hol and Roj after the SDF withdrew, citing instability and humanitarian risks.
The situation has heightened US and Iraqi concerns over a possible ISIS resurgence. Washington confirmed the transfer of 150 ISIS detainees from Syria to Iraq, part of a plan that could expand 7000, while Baghdad reinforced border defenses.