Syrian government takes control of strategic al-Tanf base vacated by US
Syrian government forces have taken control of the strategic al-Tanf base near the Iraqi and Jordanian borders following a U.S. withdrawal after nearly a decade. The base had been used by U.S. troops to monitor ISIS and Iran-backed groups in the region.
- Middle East
- Anadolu Agency
- Published Date: 08:42 | 12 February 2026
The Syrian government has taken control of the strategic al-Tanf base located at the junction of the Iraqi and Jordanian borders after the US withdrew after nearly 10 years.
Syrian government sources told Anadolu on Wednesday that the Syrian Army assumed control of the base and deployed there.
US forces reportedly withdrew to a base known as Tower 22, which sits near the demilitarized zone on the border between Jordan and Syria and is located 22 kilometers (13 miles) from al-Tanf.
Although around 200 US troops were said to be stationed at al-Tanf at one point, there is no confirmed data on the number of US personnel deployed at Tower 22.
The US had used the al-Tanf base, which was expanded in 2017 and 2018, along with surveillance balloons deployed there to monitor the military activities of Iran-backed groups and the ISIS (Daesh) terrorist organization across a stretch of hundreds of kilometers between the Jordanian border and the Euphrates River.