What forces have been left in Syria this time? We seem to have "withdrawn" from places so many times it's hard to credit that a full exit is ever a thing.
464
BarryMcKokinor1 day ago
+99
Special forces. Micro strike groups that are tied into intelligence asset gathering and action taking.
99
Menown1 day ago
+14
Would this be the ISA or the Green Berets? I'm not familiar much with the Syrian conflict.
14
sandnibba_talks2 days ago
+135
There are no more US or international coalition forces remaining in Syria now, this was their last base
135
iamapizza1 day ago
+80
All your base aren't belong to US
80
sanguinare121 day ago
+8
What you say !!
8
Thrizzlepizzle12312319 hr ago
+1
They set up us the bomb
1
AppleSlacks1 day ago
+9
Make your time.
9
SenHeffy2 days ago
+32
A few soldiers were killed in Syria just in December
32
ResortClear7302 days ago
+7
I’m confused by your statement. We are now in April and the article says they left on Thursday. Sssooo, what does December have to do with it?
7
SenHeffy1 day ago
+73
Thanks for your important question. There are multiple Decembers, so while you're correct in pointing out that December 2026 hasn't occurred yet, the soldiers were killed in December 2025.
73
ResortClear7301 day ago
+12
lol, ignore me I’m idiotic. I thought you responded to a different comment.
12
PleaseGreaseTheL1 day ago
+3
This was so good and calm that I thought Claude wrote it
3
bitchcoin500023 hr ago
+1
😂 😆 😆 u/senheffy You are so diplomatic I am impressed
1
CensoredbytheGOP1 day ago
+1
They're likely talking about Jordan's border outposts some of which held territory in Syria.
1
Sea-Department-42422 days ago
-2
*cough* in before Golan Heights.
-2
Khamvom1 day ago
+50
Context:
U.S. troops fully withdrew from their bases in northeastern Syria and they represent the last *permanently* stationed U.S. forces in the country.
The pullout was driven by two main factors: to discourage cross border attacks by Iraqi-Iranian militias and to complete the handover of power to the new Syrian Government, who’s been struggling to exert control over the nation.
The Syrian President has signaled in past meetings that he’s open to future U.S. Military assistance (training, advisors, exercises, intelligence, etc) in order to combat groups like ISIS.
50
FavoriteConsequence2 days ago
+390
10 years of fighting ISIS in Syria, only to have a now-former commander of an Al-Qaeda affiliate group become the leader of Syria.
Job well done.
/s
390
thechromatick2 days ago
+234
A former commander that managed to organize and come to power, form a legitimate government and begin normalizing relations with Syria's neighbors and the US.
234
CRUSTBUSTICUS2 days ago
+133
And who’s resistance was being funded/armed (at least partially) by the US.
Despite still being a mess this is the brightest future Syria’s had in many currently alive peoples lifetime.
133
ArenjiTheLootGod1 day ago
+38
God I hope it works out for them, there are photos online that directly compare what areas of the country looked like pre-war versus what they look like post war and the results are heartbreaking. The people in Syria deserve a good country.
38
0biWanChernobyl1 day ago
+14
You forgot that he and his buddies are killing minorities like kurds...
14
rizaical1 day ago
+7
An ethnic conflict would be bound to happen in a post-civil war country filled to the brim with sectarianism like Syria, regardless on whoever replaced the old regime.
Or would you prefer Assad to stay in power?
7
math2ndperiod1 day ago
+1
I mean we’ll need to wait and see how things turn out but Syria’s human development index and life expectancy were steadily increasing under Assad and has plummeted as a result of the civil war. We’ll see if the new guy is better, but if he’s already going after minority groups I’m not sure it’s time to cheer for Assad getting replaced yet.
1
rizaical1 day ago
+3
>Syria’s human development index and life expectancy were steadily increasing under Assad and has plummeted as a result of the civil war
True, but those data and surveys might not show us the full picture; otherwise, there wouldn’t have been a civil war.
>We’ll see if the new guy is better, but if he’s already going after minority groups
Well i'm waiting 2 more years to see whether or not he will deliver on his promise for a presidential election but i'm not sure i necessarily agree with the idea that he purposely going after the minorities.
3
math2ndperiod1 day ago
+1
Yeah no there are plenty of other metrics other than those two that facilitated the civil war, and it’s too early to tell on the new guy I think, I just see too often the idea that totalitarian regimes justify foreign intervention to overthrow those regimes, but what we end up doing is sacrificing the lives of countless people within the country to facilitate a dice roll in what we get out of the resulting power vacuum. See: Libya, Iraq, Afghanistan and now Iran.
I just think that too many times the western world is willing to absolutely trash the most fundamental metrics of a population in order to pursue much loftier goals of things like freedom of press and voting and democracy in general. And by “western world” I mainly mean the civilian populations. I have no faith that the governments actually give a single shit about improving the lives of the people in these countries.
1
Bagafeet1 day ago
-6
It's not a chicken ethnic conflict when terrorists have committed massacres against alawites, then druze, then Kurds. Now cracking also on Sunnis who date oppose his bullshit.
No it wouldn't have turned it like this if the country wasn't handed to terrorist groups. Get your head out of your ass. He's an extension of the Assad regime, and a fat worse one at that.
-6
rizaical1 day ago
>alawites, then druze, then Kurds.
Those were horrible but it's not like Sharaa intended for all of those to happened.
Sectarianism is a problem even among the soldiers from Damascus.
Sharaa should discipline them, but those massacres (mainly the Alawites and the Druze) were not Damascus plan from the start.
The Syrian government has also put the people responsible for the coastal tragedy on trial. It’s not ideal, but it is a good first step.
>Get your head out of your ass. He's an extension of the Assad regime, and a fat worse one at that.
Stop bullshitting. Last time i checked, Sharaa didn't use a chemical weapon against their own people or put his opposition to Sednaya for torture.
0
Silly_Ad_50641 day ago
-8
It’s genocidal Israeli neighbors, who will bomb it and carve up its territory no matter how subservient the regime is to the West
-8
phycologist1 day ago
> legitimate
*victorious*
0
UnusualMacaroon1 day ago
+30
Bad take. Real bad.
The US secured several oil fields, helped remove al-Assad from power, has decent relations with the new regime and whipped the Russians ass in Syria. All while taking minimal casualties.
30
FavoriteConsequence1 day ago
-4
Syria, the country, was never a legitimate threat to the US. No reason for the US to have had a military presence there for 10 years.
-4
UnusualMacaroon1 day ago
+17
Syria was a legitimate threat to US allies. They had also been recognized as a state sponsor of terror since 1979. They used chemical weapons on their own people and were a pillar of Iran's BS in the region.
17
FavoriteConsequence1 day ago
-11
Were US troops in Syria for 10 years to fight ISIS or the Syrian government?
-11
western_red_cedar1 day ago
-5
Wow cool! Seems like the empire is going great, then. And things are even better at home, right?
-5
rizaical1 day ago
+17
Listnookor talking about something they have absolutely know nothing about and get a lot of upvotes, as usual.
Raqqa is no longer the ISIS capital anymore, so good job.
Also, HTS changed a lot during their time governing Idlib and pretty much abandoned their al-Nusra way.
If Sharaa has the same ideology with all of those extremist groups, then why the hell did he become a target of ISIS several assasination attempts last year?
https://english.aawsat.com/arab-world/5239952-un-syrias-president-and-2-top-ministers-were-targets-5-foiled-assassination
17
FavoriteConsequence1 day ago
-7
Serious listnookor responding to sarcastic listnookor with comment that is just as hyperbolically generalized to attempt to make a point. The rhetorical question at the end is the cherry on top.
-7
rizaical1 day ago
+16
Most people would assume that your /s was intended for your "job well done".
I don't know whether your comment was sarcastic in the first place or your reply was nothing but a petty attempt to spin your argument original intention now that you have no rebuttal.
Regardless, my point still stand.
Edit: Wow, looking at your replies, you seems to take them all too seriously despite your original comment being "sarcastic".
16
Simple-Soft78181 day ago
+7
You read it correctly and your take is right.
7
PureLock332 days ago
+29
so much winning done here. so much winning done in Iraq. so much winning as well in Afghanistan. time to do more winning in Iran!
29
obalovatyk2 days ago
+8
Funny thing about Afghanistan is the US had looked into to getting the taliban a seat in the UN as the representative government in the late ‘90’s. They wanted Kharzi to be the leader for that government.
8
PureLock331 day ago
+1
After Rambo was seen riding with the Taliban, is it that surprising?
Remember who supported the Shah regime in Iran?
1
Head-of-bread2 days ago
+2
cuba i'm looking at you!
2
[deleted]1 day ago
+2
[deleted]
2
FavoriteConsequence1 day ago
-1
The US once again wasted a lot of time, a lot of money, and numerous lives of its service members fighting in yet another country in the Middle East where they had no reason to be in the first place.
-1
[deleted]1 day ago
+8
[deleted]
8
FavoriteConsequence1 day ago
-6
ISIS still exists, even after all these years. The Global War on Terror has never ended.
-6
[deleted]1 day ago
+7
[deleted]
7
FavoriteConsequence1 day ago
-2
ISIS still exists. Al-Qaeda and its myriad offshoots and affiliates still exist.
-2
Bagafeet1 day ago
+1
I mean to be fair he also has ISIS on his resume, and was held in jail in Iraq for terrorist activity before being handed to the Syrian regime who released him once protests started in 2011.
1
michaelstuttgart-1421 day ago
You mean 10 years of using terror groups to depose Assad and consolidate power in the Levant? The fall of his regime, in concert with the destruction of the Iranian counterinsurgency, has been a tremendous boon to American-Israeli assets in the region.
0
BathFullOfDucks2 days ago
-7
Really those folks who said the US was just there to support terrorist groups against assad and the government were completely wrong and I can't imagine any evidence otherwise.
-7
ClaytonRook2 days ago
+23
Are you Syrias?
23
bahhumbud1 day ago
+4
Sooper syrias
4
gtrocks5551 day ago
+4
I like Super Syrias 3 form the best.
4
sandnibba_talks2 days ago
-10
No i ain't Syrian
-10
predatorybeing2 days ago
+10
They moved then closer to Iran.
10
trash-juice1 day ago
+3
Didn’t we paste the wagner group in Syria?
3
usuallysortadrunk2 days ago
+15
Straight to Iran.
15
buffaloburley1 day ago
+2
Wait - is Israel still in Syria?
2
sandnibba_talks1 day ago
+12
Yup, today they even started building something so they aren't going to withdraw anytime soon
12
Previous-Tangelo94711 day ago
+1
Trump sold Syria out last time he was in office. Was not much there anyway.
1
CensoredbytheGOP1 day ago
+1
To Jordan which is like, a mile away.
1
CensoredbytheGOP1 day ago
+1
What's really crazy is the Russians are given permission to keep their base despite assisting in chemical attacks on civilians and rebel fighters in the country.
1
sandnibba_talks1 day ago
+1
They didn't force the Americans to get out, the US wanted to withdraw from Syria for a while now and believe me they don't want the Russians there but they can't afford to kick them out for now
1
CensoredbytheGOP1 day ago
+1
I never claimed anything was forced. We've long protected the border of Jordan.
But I'm saying if I was a Syrian I would've insisted on the expelling of Russian forces in a post Assad regime.
It's a bit like tolerating a parasite.
1
sandnibba_talks1 day ago
+1
Believe me most Syrians really want the Russians out but they can't afford to kick them out right now. Most of oil infrastructure is still destroyed and last year was one of the worst droughts Syria suffered in decades, Russian oil and grain really saved the new government, not to mention that they still depend on them to print their currency
1
sandnibba_talks1 day ago
+1
Also pissing off Russia will make them back up insurgents and cause trouble for Syria internationally and in the security council
1
Pure-Combination23431 day ago
+1
Al nusra now runs syria. Mission accomplished, boys
1
NEOK531 day ago
+1
I didn’t even know we were still there, tbh. I think as an “advisors” type of deal?
1
Glittering-Quote-63519 hr ago
+1
Glad we are out, but my understanding is that this screws the Kurds. Kurds are probably used to the U.S. screwing them tho.
1
sandnibba_talks19 hr ago
+3
The kurds were forced to sign a deal to integrate with the new Syrian government. They got the citizenship, cultural and linguistic rights and kurdish police for their areas so hopefully a good ending for them
3
Glittering-Quote-63519 hr ago
+1
I hope the best for them, but fear the worst given history of the region.
1
Artistic_Original_881 day ago
-14
Good! Let’s begin withdrawing from Europe, starting with Spain and Italy.
-14
kwangqengelele1 day ago
+6
Why Spain and Italy specifically?
6
Artistic_Original_881 day ago
-8
Spain outright blocked U.S. access during the Iran war, and even Italy restricted it under their rules. If allies won’t support operations when it matters, we should rethink permanent basing there.
-8
kwangqengelele1 day ago
+8
Ah, thanks for the shortsighted and stupid explanation, 88 "artist"!
8
Artistic_Original_881 day ago
-5
Calling it stupid isn’t a rebuttal. Spain denied access and Italy restricted it. If you think that doesn’t matter, explain why.
-5
Admirable_Switch_3531 day ago
+3
Bc our international relations with said allies has been utterly tanked bc of this administration, throw in the fact no one wanted this war except isreal and it has halted the global economy and threatened our era of free trade it’s completely justified that Italy and Spain would do what they did
3
Artistic_Original_881 day ago
+1
Blaming the administration doesn’t answer the core issue. If allies won’t grant access during operations, it’s fair to question how reliable those bases really are. As a U.S. veteran, I don’t take that lightly.
1
Juan-Sheet1 day ago
-2
Is this to invade Iran instead 🙄
-2
Franc0002 days ago
-10
So, I'm a bit out of the loop. How does that benefit Russia?
-10
HeatproofArmin2 days ago
+25
It doesn't because the current/new regime is not really a Putin Ally but more Anti-Iranian than anything else. They are more pro Turk.
25
CucumberWisdom1 day ago
-2
This move actually doesn't but Putin had to give Donny *something* so he tossed him this bone
-2
Breakfast-Impossible1 day ago
-1
Lmao just in time to leave all those ISIS camps we set up ready to explode with new extremists. Gotta love our track record.
-1
meowmixVStrump1 day ago
Has anyone sarcastically proclaimed "Mission Accomplished" yet, or do I get to be first?
EDIT: I can't believe this many ppl actually dropped the ball on this....
0
FreesideBestside2 days ago
-20
Just in time for ISIS big break in Syria. When the current government invaded Rojava, tens of thousands of former IS members and their families escaped captivity during all of the confusion and have melted back into the civilian population. At the same time, IS has been increasing its operations and recruiting efforts throughout the Caucuses and Africa, and have been making a concerted effort to transfer the know-how from veteran fighters in the ME and SEA to other franchises throughout the Islamic world. They've even been collaborating when it comes to financing and procurement, using money or weapons acquired in one region to prop up new franchises in others. Somehow, IS has returned.
-20
Big-Bird-92052 days ago
+17
It didn't "invade rojava"
It was Syrian land for all syrians.
Separatists can f*** right off.
17
FreesideBestside2 days ago
-15
I think you should look up the definition of "invasion." The land doesnt have to be internationally recognized foreign territory to count as an invasion, Einstein. Also, the primary goal of the SDF was federalization, with greater autonomy and democratic decision making for seperate communities and ethnic groups who had been historically oppressed by the centralized Syrian state, not full independence, hence the why the SDF recruited non kurdish units and involved non kurds at every level of decison making. What are you, a Turk?
-15
Big-Bird-92052 days ago
+14
No, I'm a Syrian. Living in Syria as well.
And the areas you're referring are majorly Arabs.
We took it back and you can suck it.
14
FreesideBestside2 days ago
-12
Oh, so you're an Arab nationalist. That explains it. So even if i pointed linked multiple articles detailing the origins of the SDF, the historical justification for the revolt, the history of ethnic and sectarian violence in Syria, demographic studies detailing the ethnic diversity of NE Syria, that wouldn't change your mind? How do you feel about the Alawites? Did they deserve to be massacred last year because Assad was one? Are all Arabs equal, or are Sunnis more equal then others?
-12
Big-Bird-92052 days ago
+11
I'm not pro gov. Half of my family are alwaites.
I know people personally who lived in area controlled by the SDF. In short, they were no better than Assad. Arabs were being discriminated against plainly. The current government hasn't done anything to the Kurds "yet".
11
FreesideBestside2 days ago
+3
"Yet" isnt really accurate, is it? I mean, if it hasnt started happening "yet," then their couldnt be journalists reporting on it or enough information to make wikipedia articles about it. Its not like its widely know, open source information. Idk, from my time in Syria fighting IS, i seem to remember a lot of consevative Arabs complaining about the "oppression" they faced when they were required to serve women and non Arabs at their businesses. May Syria have peace, and may Arab nationalists eat pork. الله معك
3
Big-Bird-92052 days ago
+10
I'm religious either.
Out of everything I hate of the current government. Oppressing Kurds is not one of them, because it's not true.
10
Extreme_Garlic46462 days ago
-25
This is war number 10, which Trump ended.
-25
roman000001 day ago
-2
Now let’s read Isreal is leaving. Not quick enough. Move out Isreal. We’re Watching.
-2
CaptainONaps2 days ago
-17
Oh shit! It's happening! We're starting to pull out.
The people that predicted this say this would be the first step in a series of very unfortunate events. I didn't expect it to happen so quickly. Things are moving so fast.
97 Comments