ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq - US Central Command (CENTCOM) on Thursday confirmed that its forces have departed the al-Tanf base in southeastern Syria as part of what it called an "orderly transition," reiterating its commitment to maintaining pressure on the Islamic State (ISIS) and highlighting recent operations against the extremist group.

Following a Syrian defense ministry statement confirming that Syrian military forces have occupied the base in question, which is located at a strategic juncture in the country's tri-border area with Iraq and Jordan, CENTCOM announced that the US withdrawal comes "as part of a deliberate and conditions-based transition."

Al-Tanf was primarily used by the US in the fight against the Islamic State (ISIS), which in 2014 took over large swathes of Syria and the immediate area in the vicinity of the base. In the area, the US trained a local Syrian force, the Syrian Free Army, which is now part of Syria’s interior and defense ministries after the fall of Bashar al-Assad.  

CENTCOM noted that the handover comes in accordance with a 2025 Department of Defense announcement that said that US forces would "consolidate its locations in Syria after the territorial defeat of ISIS in 2019."

Washington's Middle East-focused command insisted that, despite the withdrawal, anti-ISIS efforts continue in conjunction with local forces to prevent any resurgence of the group.

"US forces remain poised to respond to any ISIS threats that arise in the region as we support partner-led efforts to prevent the terrorist network’s resurgence," said CENTCOM chief Admiral Brad Cooper. "Maintaining pressure on ISIS is essential to protecting the US homeland and strengthening regional security."

CENTCOM further noted that "over the past two months, US forces have struck more than 100 targets with over 350 precision munitions while capturing or killing more than 50 ISIS terrorists."

Washington began a retaliatory campaign dubbed Operation Hawkeye Strike against ISIS after a December attack in Syria's Palmyra by the extremist group killed three American citizens.

Despite being territorially defeated in 2019, ISIS still poses a security threat across Syria, with the extremist group mostly resorting to hit-and-run attacks.

In 2025, ISIS carried out at least 11 plots or attacks against targets in the US, CENTCOM said in an earlier statement. 

Syria joined the international coalition to defeat ISIS in November, becoming the body’s 90th partner to join the global fight against the group, with the move being hailed by US officials as a sign of Damascus' determination to assist in counterterrorism efforts.