WASHINGTON, February 7. /TASS/. Syria’s new authorities have been discussing the future of US military bases on Syrian soil with the Trump administration, and "the issue needs some time," Murhaf Abu Qasra, Syrian Defense Minister during the transitional period, said.
"Everyone was waiting for Trump to come to power, and the issue needs some time between the US administration and the new Syrian government," he said in an interview with The Washington Post. According to the official, "the issue of whether the United States will maintain a military presence in the country’s northeast is 'under negotiation.'"
In late November 2024, armed opposition units launched a large-scale offensive on positions held by Syrian government forces in the Aleppo and Idlib provinces, capturing several major cities: Aleppo, Hama, Deraa, and Homs. On December 8, they entered Damascus, prompting government troops to withdraw from the capital. Bashar Assad stepped down as Syrian president and left the country. On December 10, Mohammed al-Bashir, who had led the so-called Syrian Salvation Government in the Idlib Province since January 2024, announced his appointment as head of Syria’s interim government. The interim period is expected to last until March 1, 2025.
The leader of the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham group (outlawed in Russia), Ahmed al-Sharaa, also known as Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, has become Syria’s de facto new leader. On January 29, the new authorities announced that al-Sharaa will serve as Syria’s president during the transitional period.
The US-backed Kurds control 25% of Syria’s territory, including most of Raqqa and Al-Hasakah governorates, as well as the northeastern part of Deir ez-Zor governorate, where oil fields are located. Since 2015, the US has established at least nine military bases in the areas controlled by the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).
On February 5, NBC reported, citing two US officials, that the Pentagon was developing plans to withdraw all US troops from Syria. According to the TV channel, US President Donald Trump and officials close to him recently expressed interest in pulling US troops out of Syria. The US leader himself told reporters at the White House that Washington must not get involved in Syria’s affairs.