ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq - The United States has ceded control of all of its military sites in Syria to the Damascus government, the Syrian foreign ministry announced Thursday, saying that the country is now "fully capable of leading counterterrorism efforts from within."

In a statement, the ministry said it “welcomes the completed handover of military sites where United States forces were previously present in Syria to the Syrian government.”

"The extension of Syrian state authority over areas that had previously been outside its control including the northeast and border regions - is the result of the Syrian government's sustained efforts to unify the country within the framework of a single state," the statement continued, referencing offensives by Damascus-affiliated forces into the Kurdish-led Rojava (northeast Syria) administration and against Druze fighters in the south.

"The completion of the handover of these sites also reflects the successful integration of the Syrian Democratic Forces [SDF] into national structures, and the Syrian state's assumption of full responsibility for combating terrorism and addressing regional threats on its territory."

The ministry said Washington’s decision to end its military mission shows that “the circumstances which originally necessitated the American military presence in Syria… have fundamentally changed,” noting that Syria is now “fully capable of leading counterterrorism efforts from within.”

Syria joined the international coalition to defeat the Islamic State (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.

Footage shows a US military convoy departing Rojava (northeast Syria) for Iraq as the Syrian government announced Thursday that all previous US military bases in the country are now under Damascus' control pic.twitter.com/NN3vCs7ooN

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Damascus said the process was carried out “with great professionalism and in full coordination between the Syrian and American governments,” describing it as evidence of a “constructive” phase in relations following a meeting between President Ahmad al-Sharaa and US President Donald Trump in November 2025.

The ministry said Syria remains committed to “strengthening diplomacy, developing economic partnerships, and expanding areas of cooperation” with the United States.

"With US troops out, sanctions lifted, and President Trump’s strong support for a stable unified Syria, there is no excuse for Russian bases to remain. Syria should do the right thing and what a majority of Syrians support and kick them out," US Representative Joe Wilson wrote on X following the news, noting the lingering Russian military presence.

At its peak, around 2,000 US troops were deployed across bases and military sites in the country, supporting counterterrorism missions, stabilization efforts, and security operations.

US Central Command (CENTCOM), in a statement discussing the withdrawal of US forces from the al-Tanf base in southeastern Syria in February, said that "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."

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."