The Syrian government formally took control of the Qasrak Air Base in the Hasakah governorate of northeastern Syria on Thursday, April 16, after the final convoy of U.S.-led international coalition forces departed the facility. The development marks the end of a military presence that the United States had maintained in Syria since 2014, when it first entered the country to combat the Islamic State group, commonly known as ISIS or Daesh.
Syrian army forces "took over the Qasrak air base after the withdrawal of international coalition forces," said a defence ministry statement carried by state news agency SANA. Syria's foreign ministry said in a statement that "the Syrian state's restoration of sovereignty over areas that were outside its control, including the northeast and border regions, is the result of the Syrian government's continuous efforts to unify the country within the framework of a single state."
The Withdrawal: A Phased and Coordinated Military Pullout
The announcement came after the final convoy of U.S. soldiers and equipment departed Qasrak air base, located in the northeastern governorate of Hasakah, ending a military presence that began in 2014 when U.S. forces entered the fight against ISIL alongside Kurdish fighters who went on to lead what became known as the Syrian Democratic Forces. Thursday, April 16, the final American convoy departed the site after days of moving armored vehicles, logistics equipment and remaining supplies toward Jordan and Iraq. Soon after the withdrawal, forces from the Syrian army's 60th Division entered the base and assumed control, according to statements from Syria's Ministry of Defense.
The handover makes Qasrak the last in a string of coalition sites transferred in recent months, following earlier withdrawals from Rmeilan, Shaddadi and Tanf. The U.S. has been reducing its military footprint in Syria for months, going from 1,500 personnel in July to about 900 currently. The transfer was carried out in coordination between the Syrian and American governments, the Syrian Foreign Ministry stated. The departure of U.S. forces from the bases came after the U.S. military completed the transfer of some 5,700 accused Islamic State militants from detention centers in northeast Syria to prisons in Iraq, where they will be put onSyria takes control of Qasrak Air Base as U.S.-led forces withdraw, marking a major shift in northeast Syria’s security, sovereignty, and anti-ISIS operations. trial.
Local sources said that after U.S. forces evacuated the base, elements affiliated with the YPG terror group set fire to some vehicles inside the facility. Local sources reported some equipment was destroyed or burned before the last troops left, a common military practice intended to prevent sensitive material from changing hands.
The Legal and Diplomatic Framework Behind the Handover
The transfer of Qasrak Air Base did not happen in isolation. It was the direct outcome of a series of legally significant agreements that reshaped the political and military map of northeastern Syria over the preceding months.
Syria's government and the Syrian Democratic Forces concluded a far-reaching agreement aimed at ending military confrontation in northeastern Syria and restoring full state authority over key regions east of the Euphrates River. On January 18, 2026, a 14-point ceasefire agreement with the SDF, negotiated through U.S. envoy Tom Barrack, was announced, under which the SDF is set to be integrated into the Syrian government, and the governorates of Raqqa and Deir ez-Zor immediately handed over to the government, together with the administration of prisoner-of-war camps for Islamic State members, all border crossings and oil fields.
On January 16, President al-Sharaa issued Decree No. 13, affirming that Syrian Kurds are an essential part of the Syrian people and that their cultural and linguistic identity is part of Syria's unified national identity. The decree provides for the recognition of Kurdish cultural and linguistic rights and addresses outstanding rights-based and civil issues, including those of unregistered and stateless persons and accumulated property rights claims from previous decades. SDF members are to be integrated individually into Syria's defense and interior ministries following security vetting. Those accepted will receive official ranks and full military entitlements, while the agreement stresses respect for the social and cultural particularities of Kurdish-majority areas.
The Syrian state commits to continuing the fight against terrorism, including ISIS, as an active member of the International Coalition, in coordination with the United States, to ensure the security and stability of the region. Syria joined the international coalition against ISIL in November, a milestone that recast Damascus as a partner rather than an obstacle and fundamentally altered the rationale for a continued U.S. military presence in Syria.
On the same day the base was handed over, Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa met with SDF commander Mazloum Abdi in Damascus, with the meeting also including Ilham Ahmad, co-chair of the Foreign Relations Department of the Democratic Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria, to discuss the next phase of integration.
Sovereignty, Security Gaps and What Comes Next
The completion of this handover carries implications that extend well beyond the transfer of a single military installation. U.S. bases in Syria long served overlapping roles: containing ISIS remnants, supporting SDF operations, monitoring border corridors and limiting Iranian-backed transit routes. Their closure shifts those responsibilities to Syrian state institutions while placing full responsibility on Damascus for managing border security and extremist cells without direct coalition support. The Syrian Foreign Ministry said the handover "reflects ongoing efforts by the Syrian government to unify the country under one state and reassert sovereignty over areas that had been outside its control, including parts of the northeast and border regions."
Despite the handover, U.S. forces are still present in parts of northeastern Syria, including security offices in Qamishli and Hasakah, as well as at the Istirahat al-Wazir base. This indicates that while the ground combat presence has formally ended, a limited American administrative and advisory footprint remains in place. The main mission of U.S. troops in Syria was to prevent a resurgence of IS. The extremist group lost control of the last territory it held in Syria in 2019, but its sleeper cells have continued to stage periodic attacks in Syria, Iraq and abroad. The question of how effectively Damascus can fill this security role on its own remains a central concern for regional governments and international observers alike.
While the American military mission on Syrian territory appears over, the consequences are only beginning to unfold. The end of the ground presence removes a major geopolitical actor from the map, yet leaves the enduring challenge of preventing an ISIS resurgence unresolved in a still-fragmented security landscape.
What is clear from the events of April 16 is that Syria's transitional government has moved decisively to consolidate territorial authority across the northeast, backed by a set of bilateral agreements, presidential decrees and coordinated military operations that together constitute a legal and political basis for the country's reunification under a single sovereign state. The road ahead, however, will require sustained governance, security coordination and institutional reform before that reunification can be considered complete.
