U.S. military transport vehicles stationed in Syria [AP=Yonhap News]

Amid ongoing clashes between the Syrian government forces and the Kurdish armed group Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and continued instability in the region, the United States is considering a complete withdrawal of its troops stationed in Syria, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported on the 22nd (local time).

According to multiple U.S. officials, the U.S. is questioning the necessity of maintaining its presence in Syria if the SDF, which has cooperated with the U.S. in its fight against the extremist group Islamic State (IS), is absorbed and integrated into the government forces.

The SDF has fought against IS with U.S. support during the Syrian civil war and has exercised governing authority in the northeastern region. In particular, they have managed several IS member detention facilities in the northeast.

However, following the ousting of the Bashar al-Assad dictatorial regime in December 2024, the SDF's position rapidly weakened when the U.S. began supporting interim president Ahmed Al-Shar'a, a former leader of the Islamist rebel group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS).

The Al-Shar'a government decided to integrate the SDF into the government forces last year, but the SDF resisted, asserting their demand for autonomous governance.

Ultimately, Syrian government forces launched a large-scale offensive starting on the 6th of this month, dealing a significant blow to the SDF by securing control over SDF-governed areas.

Following this, both sides agreed to a ceasefire and also to the dissolution of the SDF and its integration into the government forces.

The U.S. withdrawal from Syria is likely to occur after the integration between the SDF and government forces. Currently, approximately 1,000 U.S. troops remain in Syria, mostly dispersed in the northeastern region alongside the SDF.

The complete withdrawal of U.S. forces from Syria has been considered in the past. In 2018, President Donald Trump announced the withdrawal of all approximately 2,000 U.S. troops stationed in Syria at the time, but due to the dissuasion of senior White House staff, the plan was modified to withdraw only a portion.

The WSJ stated that if the U.S. were to completely withdraw from Syria, it would signify "a complete end to the more than a decade-long U.S. operation in Syria, which began with former President Barack Obama's intervention in the Syrian civil war in 2014."

Remains of U.S. soldiers killed in Syria arriving at Dover Air Force Base, Delaware, on the 17th of last month [AFP=Yonhap News]

One of the reasons the U.S. is considering a withdrawal from Syria this time is the concern that cooperation between U.S. troops and government forces will be difficult after the merger of the two sides.

The U.S. views that within the government forces led by President Al-Shar'a, there are elements sympathetic to jihadists like Al-Qaeda and IS, as well as soldiers accused of war crimes against Kurds.

These suspicions from the U.S. grew stronger after the incident last December in which two U.S. soldiers and one American civilian interpreter were killed. The suspect was reportedly scheduled to be dismissed from the government forces on the day of the incident due to extremist ideology.

There were also instances where Syrian government forces approached U.S. military facilities closely while conducting operations against the SDF. Two U.S. government officials stated that they had shot down at least one Syrian government drone near U.S. military facilities in Syria.

Amidst this, the U.S. military's announcement yesterday that it would transfer 7,000 IS prisoners from Syria to neighboring Iraq is fueling speculation that a U.S. troop withdrawal from Syria could proceed soon.

Charles Lister, director of the Syria program at the Middle East Institute (MEI), a think tank in Washington, explained, "The main reason for the U.S. military's presence in Syria over the past year has been the detention and holding facilities. The transfer of IS members abroad removes one reason for the U.S. military to remain."