An armoured US military vehicle moves towards the Iraqi Kurdistan region as US troops withdraw from Qasrak military base in northeastern Syria on Monday — Reuters DAMASCUS, Feb 23 (Reuters): US forces began pulling out of their largest base in northeastern Syria on Monday, three Syrian military and security sources said, part of a wider departure as the US-allied government in Damascus consolidates control.
Dozens of trucks, some carrying armoured vehicles, departed the base at Qasrak in Hasakah province on Monday morning, witnesses said. Reuters footage later showed the trucks moving along a highway on the outskirts of the city of Qamishli.
The US military's Central Command (Centcom) did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment.
A full withdrawal from Qasrak would still leave the US-led coalition with a base in Rmelan, also known as Kharab al-Jir, near the Iraqi border.
Qasrak has been a main hub for the US-led global coalition fighting Islamic State in Syria, where US troops deployed over a decade ago, partnering with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) against the jihadist group.
Neither the Syrian defence ministry nor the SDF responded to requests for comment.
One of the Syrian sources, a military official briefed on US plans, said the pullout was expected to take about a month, but that it remained unclear whether the withdrawal from the base was temporary or permanent. The second Syrian source, also briefed on US plans, said it would take a number of weeks.
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