U.S. Marines with Weapons Company, 3rd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment provide security support during mission on Sept. 9, 2018, at an undisclosed location in Syria. (Cpl. Gabino Perez/Marine Corps)
The United States military has deployed reinforcements in several bases in northeastern Syria, contradicting recent reports alleging that Washington was withdrawing troops from the region.
In a report released on April 23, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) revealed seven cargo aircraft and 279 trucks brought in reinforcements, including radars and other advanced military equipment, to U.S. bases in the governorates of al-Haskaha and Aleppo since the start of the month.
Most of the reinforcements were deployed at the bases of Qasrak and Khrab al-Jair in the al-Hasakah, some were, however, sent to posts as far as the town of Kobani in Aleppo.
The London-based monitoring group said that the deployment of reinforcements in northeastern Syria “reflects a clear contradiction between words and actions,” raising questions about the nature and goals of the next phase of U.S. military deployment in the country.
U.S. forces in Syria grew in the last few years from just around 900 troops to over 2,000, with several bases located at key gas and oil fields in the northeastern region in addition to a garrison in al-Tanf blocking a strategic highway linking Damascus with Baghdad, the capital of Iraq.
Recent Syrian media reports also said that U.S. forces were operating at al-Dumayr Air Base, to the northwest of Damascus.
While the U.S. was among the first to welcome the fall of the Assad regime last December, the administration of President Donald Trump adopted a more cautious approach towards the country’s new Islamist-led interim government.
Early last March, the U.S. worked with Russia to pass a statement in the United Nations Security Council condemning a government crackdown on the Syrian coast that claimed the lives of more than 1,600 civilians, mostly members of the Alawite religious minority.
The U.S., however, helped broker an agreement between its allies in northeastern Syria, the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, and the government to integrate the group into state institutions around the same time.
It was reported later in March that the U.S. gave the interim government a list of conditions to fulfill in exchange for partial sanctions relief.
Last week, The New York Times reported that the U.S. military was closing three of its eight small operating bases in the region, reducing troop levels to about 1,400 from 2,000.
A report released by Ynet earlier in April confirmed that U.S. officials have informed their counterparts in the Israeli security establishment of the planned troop reduction in Syria, adding that it is expected to begin within two months. An Israeli official told the news site at the time that the country was working to convince the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump to limit the withdrawal, fearing that the move would increase Turkey’s “appetite” to control Syria.
SOHR’s latest report indicates that the U.S. is taking Israel’s concerns into consideration. In fact, Washington could end up increasing the number of its troops in Syria, just as it did in 2019 when Trump, in his first term at the time, ordered complete withdrawal from the country.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
SouthFront: Analysis and Intelligence
NOW hosted at southfront.press
Previously, SouthFront: Analysis and Intelligence was at southfront.org.
The .org domain name had been blocked by the US (NATO) (https://southfront.press/southfront-org-blocked-by-u-s-controlled-global-internet-supervisor/) globally, outlawed and without any explanation
Back before that, from 2013 to 2015, SouthFront: Analysis and Intelligence was at southfront.com
western zog controlled countries are declining into economic and moral decrepitude and political irrelevance.
from vietnam to yemen. the jewsa has not been at peace for a single day in the 21st century. for the past 70 years it has rampaged around the planet like nazi germany on steroids, slaughtering, starving and immiserating hundreds of millions of people. its crimes are without number. as are those of its little zio satan in the middle east. but times are changing, and many pigeons are finally coming home to roost
it’s almost if these yankees are bigger liars and assholes than these k*kes with their duplicity and outright ongoing lying.
oh wait . . . . . who rules over them ?
home of the brave, land of the free 👊
oh, yes trump is reducing troops, that’s why they’re reinforcing bases and new equipment. yes, the world is this stupid. this is only prep for the non-attack on iran that isn’t going to happen because trump said no. why else would they send new troops, radars and supplies if they weren’t pulling out? why else would trump add an israeli idf member to join his natsec? c’mon, peace is around the corner. trump the peacemaker!!
why do you think putler got parts of ukraine? i hope a better us president comes like trump and that europe pays back everything putler bought for betraying iran. karelia will be returned. europe will take it back when simo häyha is reborn… russia will collapse and with it all the betrayals russia made in syria in december will be paid for.
by craig murray a british diplomatic source tells me that “president” al-jolani aka al-sharaa has assured the uk that syria will “normalise relations” with israel, recognise the state of israel and exchange ambassadors, by the end of 2026. this is part of a deal in exchange for substantial western financial support and the lifting of sanctions on syria.
i asked whether the withdrawal of israeli occupation forces from syria was part of the deal, and surprisingly this was not raised by either side. the uk regards it as a bilateral matter between syria and israel, and al-jolani does not appear to prioritise israeli withdrawal.
i was also told that the european union’s external action service (eeas) and directorate general for international partnerships has decided that al-jolani’s syrian cabinet of ministers does meet the promises he gave to the eu pledging conference in brussels on 17 march, through “foreign minister” al-shibani, to form an inclusive government, specifically including alaouite and christian communities and also female ministers.
the conference pledged 5.5 billion euros to syria in grants and loans, half of it from the eu itself. the condition of an inclusive government was stressed by the eu in its public statements. subsequently on 27 march al-jolani announced his “inclusive” cabinet of 24 ministers. there are 21 male sunnis, including all the key posts – finance, interior, defence, foreign affairs.
there is just one woman, who is also the token christian (and is canadian). there are three minority representatives, all in minor ministries – one christian, one alaouite, one druze. there is no shia representation. one of the sunni ministers is a kurd. i am sure when you look at this image, like the eu you immediately think “oh good, a diverse cabinet”.
that this is an “inclusive” government is a farce – only the most flimsy nod to tokenism detracts from the fact that it is a sunni regime with strong theocratic leanings. it was german foreign minister annalena baerbock who made the most public song and dance in brussels about the need for an inclusive government, yet it is she as one of a triumvirate of women – along with eu commission president von der leyen and external affairs head kaja kallas
– who has insisted that al-jolani’s cabinet is acceptable.of course, al-jolani’s pro-israeli credentials trump every other consideration. this has caused much disquiet among staff at the eu external affairs service and there is enormous discontent at the blatant pro-israeli agenda of von der leyen in particular. the playing down of massacres of minorities in syria, on top of the genocide in gaza, is causing real concern both in the eu and within the uk at the foreign commonwealth
and development office, my old department. a final snippet from my source. al-jolani has the support of both mi6 and uk special forces within syria. a key part of their role is to guard against any potential revolt by his own militants who fought their way through from idlib. chechen, uzbek and uighur militants are very happy for now with the spoils of victory, but may not take kindly to the notion of recognising israel.
to be clear, this next did not come from my diplomatic source. but i strongly suspect that the game is for al-jolani and his pro-zionist regime, installed with western backing, to strengthen its paid forces until the time comes for a night of the long knives, where al-jolani’s own most fanatical supporters will be eliminated. that however is merely my reading of his most practical next step. i do not see how he is to reconcile the roles of islamic fundamentalist and us/israeli puppet otherwise