US preparing to withdraw troops from Syria: Pentagon announces

It has been claimed that the US Department of Defense is preparing to withdraw troops stationed in Syria. Two senior Pentagon officials speaking to the US press stated that President Donald Trump has ordered preparations to be made to withdraw the country's troops from Syria, which he described as having 'enough chaos'.

The officials pointed out that Trump and his close associates have recently shown interest in the issue of withdrawing US troops from Syria. The officials noted that preparations have begun to end the US military presence in Syria.

Speaking to NBC News on the condition of anonymity, two individuals from the Pentagon announced that the Pentagon is developing plans to withdraw all US troops from Syria. In this direction, it was stated that Pentagon officials have begun planning for the full withdrawal of US troops from Syria within 30, 60, or 90 days.

According to the report, Trump's new national security advisor Mike Waltz spent last week at the US Central Command (CENTCOM) headquarters in Tampa, Florida. As part of his visit to the headquarters, Waltz met with senior US military leaders and received a briefing on the latest developments in the Middle East region.

A White House official stated, ''It is good that Waltz is visiting CENTCOM to get to know the entire region.''

TRUMP'S STATEMENTS

In a speech he gave in the Oval Office on January 30, the US President was asked by a journalist about the latest information he provided to the Israeli government regarding the withdrawal of US troops from Syria.

Arguing that Syria is in chaos, Trump expressed the following:

''I don't know who said that, but we will make a decision on this. We are not going to be involved in Syria... (In Syria) There is already enough confusion there. We don't need to get involved there.''

In late 2019, Trump had ordered then-Secretary of Defense James Mattis to withdraw all US troops from Syria. Opposing the plan, Mattis resigned in protest. The Trump administration at the time had withdrawn most of the US troops but later moved them back into the region. The US presence in Syria has continued since then.

In December 2024, the Pentagon announced that approximately 2,000 troops were deployed to Syria. This was recorded as more than double the approximately 900 troops the military had been citing for years.

In his statement, a Pentagon spokesperson described the additional 1,100 troops at that time as 'temporary rotational forces' for about 30 to 90 days each, and said that the 900 troops were 'core' units deployed there for nearly a year.

US President Donald Trump first floated the idea of withdrawing US troops from Syria during his first presidential term. Trump, whose second presidential term began in January, has not yet made a statement on whether their military presence in Syria will continue

News Source: AA