Washington Considers Full Withdrawal of U.S. Military Forces from Syria

According to a report by The Wall Street Journal (WSJ), the White House has begun seriously evaluating the option of fully withdrawing U.S. military forces from Syria. The reassessment comes amid the weakening of YPG/SDF terrorists and the rapid expansion of control by the Syrian government.

Strategic Debate at the Pentagon

U.S. officials say that YPG/SDF has suffered significant losses in clashes with Syrian government forces, raising doubts in Washington about the reliability of America’s long-standing local partner.

Officials noted that the organization’s decline has prompted renewed debate within the Pentagon over the strategic benefits of keeping U.S. troops stationed in Syria.

“No Reason Left to Stay in Syria”

In its report, The Wall Street Journal said that YPG/SDF’s approach to collapse has led Pentagon officials to question the rationale behind the continued U.S. military presence in Syria.

Officials told the newspaper that if SDF were to completely disintegrate, they see no justification for the American military remaining in the country.

Ankara’s Warnings Gain New Weight

The report emphasized that the United States has increasingly come to recognize the validity of Türkiye’s long-standing warnings following the change in Syria’s leadership. Despite U.S. efforts to encourage SDF to integrate under the framework of the March 10 agreement, with a deadline extending to the end of 2025, the group’s resistance to integration caused growing frustration in Washington.

The U.S. first witnessed SDF’s negative stance after operations began in Aleppo on January 4. At that time, developments related to Venezuela and Greenland limited Washington’s focus on Syria. However, the Syrian government’s swift and decisive actions soon prompted the U.S. administration to pay closer attention to events on the ground.

Sina Prison Crisis Draws U.S. Anger

According to information cited in the report, despite steps taken by the Shara administration such as opening humanitarian corridors and issuing decrees concerning Kurds, the decision by YPG to open the gates of Sina Prison—where around 5,000 ISIS prisoners were being held—angered U.S. officials.

The Syrian Army’s advance, which included surrounding and securing camps such as Yakubiye and al-Hol, and the recapture of most of the roughly 300 prisoners who escaped from Sina Prison, was also closely monitored by Washington.

Seeing that what were described as “generous” offers from the Shara administration had been rejected, the United States became fully convinced that control over SDF lay with Kandil.

Trump Signals a Strategic Shift

Recent remarks by U.S. President Donald Trump underscored how far the situation has progressed. Trump said, “I like the Kurds, urds were paid tremendous amounts of money - we have given oil and other things. So, they were doing that for themselves, more so they were doing it for us. But we get along with the Kurds and we are trying to protect the Kurds.”

In an interview with the New York Post, Trump also addressed the ISIS prisoners released by YPG/SDF, saying, “European terrorists had escaped from prison. We worked with the Syrian government and Syria’s new leader, and they captured all the prisoners.”

These statements were widely interpreted as a clear indication that Washington is politically preparing to end its military presence in Syria.