U.S. presence in Syria focuses on ISIS, no timeline for withdrawal

QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – A senior U.S. State Department official confirmed on Thursday that the U.S. presence in Syria remains focused on defeating ISIS, with no fixed timeline for withdrawal.

In an exclusive statement to North Press, the official emphasized that the U.S. and Iraq have reached an agreement to continue supporting counter-ISIS operations from Iraq into Syria until at least September 2026, contingent on conditions on the ground.

“The U.S. presence in Syria is focused on ISIS and was always intended to be limited,” the State Department official said. “There is no specific timeline, and we will remain as long as needed to achieve our core objectives.”  

Meanwhile, a Department of Defense official highlighted the success of the Coalition forces, comprising over 30 nations, in helping local partners, in reference to the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), reclaim over 42,000 square miles of ISIS-held territory, liberating eight million people since 2014.

“In the second phase to prevent the return of the ISIS terrorist threat from northeast Syria, the U.S. and the Government of Iraq have reached an understanding to allow the coalition to continue to support counter-ISIS operations in Syria from Iraq, throughout the second phase of the transition until at least September 2026,” the Department of Defense official said.

“So to be clear, while CJTF military mission in Iraq will end by September 2025, the coalition’s military mission operating in Syria will continue,” he emphasized.  

The U.S. has approximately 2,500 troops stationed in Iraq and about 900 in Syria as part of a Coalition of over 80 countries that was established in 2014 to fight ISIS in Iraq and Syria.

By Jwan Shekaki