Dhaka: Syria’s defence ministry announced on Sunday that it has assumed control of the Al-Shadadi base in the northeast from US forces. This development comes shortly after Syrian forces took over another facility near the Jordan-Iraq borders.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, the Syrian Arab Army coordinated with US forces to gain control of the Al-Shadadi military base located in the Hasakeh countryside. US forces, part of the international coalition against the Islamic State group, had been stationed at the base outside the town of Al-Shadadi, which also housed a prison where Kurdish forces had detained members of the extremist jihadist organisation. Government forces advanced into the area last month, leading to the current takeover.
This move follows the US confirmation on Thursday that its forces had vacated the Al-Tanf base near Syria’s borders with Jordan and Iraq. The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, a key partner of the US-led international coalition against IS, played a significant role in the group’s territorial defeat in Syria in 2019. However, with the fall of longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad in December 2024, the United States has strengthened its ties with the new government in Damascus, indicating that its alliance with the Kurds is no longer deemed essential.
Despite the territorial defeat of IS, the group continues to be active. On Saturday, the US Central Command reported that it had conducted air strikes on more than 30 IS targets in Syria this month. The strikes, carried out between February 3 and 12, targeted IS infrastructure and weapons storage locations.