Syria’s Ministry of Defence said on Sunday that “units of the Syrian Arab Army have taken control of the al-Shaddadi military base in the countryside of Hasakah following coordination with the American side

The Syrian army has assumed control of a military base in the country’s northeast after United States troops withdrew, in line with a ceasefire agreement reached with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).

Syria’s Ministry of Defence said on Sunday that “units of the Syrian Arab Army have taken control of the al-Shaddadi military base in the countryside of Hasakah following coordination with the American side.”

US forces had operated at al-Shaddadi since 2016, when Kurdish-led fighters captured the base from ISIL (ISIS). The US military later partnered with the SDF in the campaign against ISIL.

However, after the removal of Syria’s longtime president, Bashar al-Assad, in 2024, Washington shifted its support to interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa as he moved to consolidate authority across the country.

In January, the US helped broker an agreement between al-Sharaa’s administration and the SDF after tensions over integrating the Kurdish-led force into the Syrian army escalated into clashes.

As part of the deal, Syrian government forces also took control of the former US base at al-Tanf, near the borders with Iraq and Jordan, on Thursday.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the ceasefire implementation was “moving in a positive direction.”

“There have been some very concerning days, but we’re encouraged by the trajectory,” he said. “We have solid agreements in place.

The focus now is on implementation, and we will remain actively engaged in that process.”

Rubio added that similar arrangements would need to be negotiated with the Druze, Bedouin, and Alawite communities.

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