#us-troop-withdrawal

#us-troop-withdrawal

Syrian forces have taken control of the strategic al-Tanf military base near the border with Iraq and Jordan, the Syrian defence ministry has said, amid the withdrawal of a longstanding United States troop presence at the base. The ministry said in a statement on Thursday that Syrian Arab Army units had taken control of al-Tanf, securing the base and its surroundings, through coordination between the Syrian and American sides.

In just a few weeks, the United Nations' special mission to Iraq will leave the country for good. The UN Assistance Mission for Iraq, known as UNAMI, has been in the country for 22 years and was set up shortly after the US invasion of Iraq back in 2003. UNAMI's exit marks "the start of a new chapter rooted in Iraq's leadership of its own future," UNAMI boss Mohamed al-Hassan said earlier this week, as he delivered the organization's final briefing.

The US is likely to keep a small residual force in Syria to conduct targeted raids against ISIS.