US reinforces Syrian Qasrak base after withdrawal reports
Shafaq News- Hasakah
US forces sent major reinforcements, including air defense systems, to the Qasrak base in northeastern Syria on Thursday, two weeks after reports that Washington had begun evacuating the facility.
Shafaq News correspondent reported a convoy of armored vehicles and about 50 trucks carrying weapons, equipment, and air defense systems arrived at the base north of Hasakah from the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. The Qasrak base, one of the largest US installations in northeastern Syria, lies within territory controlled by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).
Two weeks earlier, US media reported that Washington planned to evacuate the base, transferring a large portion of troops from Qasrak to the Iraqi Kurdistan Region. The reports followed claims that the United States intends to withdraw its roughly 1,000 troops from Syria within two months, according to US officials cited by the Wall Street Journal.
Meanwhile, Syria’s Defense Ministry said the Syrian army took control of the Al-Shaddadi base in southern Hasakah after US forces withdrew. US Central Command (CENTCOM) also confirmed the withdrawal from Al-Tanf base in eastern Syria and its transfer to Syrian authorities as part of what it described as an “organized” process.
Read more: How eastern Syria’s shifts could reignite a cross-border threat with Iraq
