Iraq News

International coalition says Syria withdrawal has begun

The international coalition in Syria has begun withdrawing its troops, a spokesman said Friday (January 11th), AFP reported.

The force which has battled the "Islamic State of Iraq and Syria" (ISIS) since 2014 started scaling down, but it remained unclear how long the drawdown process would last.

"Combined Joint Task Force – Operation Inherent Resolve (CJTF–OIR) has begun the process of our deliberate withdrawal from Syria," spokesman Col. Sean Ryan told AFP in a statement.

"Out of concern for operational security, we will not discuss specific timelines, locations or troops movements," he said.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the coalition had started scaling down its presence at Rmeilan airfield in north-eastern al-Hasakeh province.

"On Thursday, some American forces withdrew from the Rmeilan military base," said Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman.

The coalition has several other bases across north-eastern Syria, as well as in neighbouring Iraq, where forces are expected to remain.

A US defence official in Washington had earlier confirmed that equipment was being removed from Syria.

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