Syrian government forces have taken control of Qasrak air base in the northeastern province of Hasakah following the withdrawal of the US-led international coalition, SANA reported on April 16 citing a statement issued by the Syrian defence ministry.

The withdrawal appears to mark the end of a 12-year US ground presence in Syria. The final convoy of troops and equipment rolled out of Qasrak air base in northeastern Syria and was seen heading towards the Jordanian border.

“Syrian army units had taken over Qasrak air base in the countryside of Hasakah after the withdrawal of international coalition forces,” according to the statement, in what appears to be the latest stage in the coalition’s gradual reduction of its footprint in Syria.

Qasrak, located in Hasakah province, has been one of the coalition’s more prominent sites in the northeast, a region that has long held strategic importance because of its proximity to Iraq, its energy resources and its role as a centre of operations against jihadist cells. 

Control of the area has also been complicated by the presence of Kurdish-led forces, Syrian government troops, and periodic Turkish military pressure.

The handover strengthened a shifting military and political landscape in northeastern Syria, where the US and its allies had maintained a network of bases as part of the campaign against Islamic State (ISIS).

In recent weeks, coalition forces have reportedly pulled out of several positions across the country, as they recalibrate their presence on the ground.

The reported transfer of the base to the Syrian government is likely to be viewed as a symbolic boost for Damascus, which has been seeking to reassert sovereignty over territories outside its full authority since the early years of the civil war. It also comes amid broader regional realignments and signs that international actors are reassessing their direct military commitments in Syria after years of stalemate.

Withdrawals from other sites in recent weeks have already fuelled speculation that Washington is moving towards a more limited military posture in Syria. US officials have repeatedly said that any changes to troop deployments would remain tied to conditions on the ground and the continuing threat posed by ISIS remnants.

Despite the territorial defeat of ISIS several years ago, militant sleeper cells remain active in parts of Syria and neighbouring Iraq. Security analysts warn that any rapid reduction in coalition capabilities could create gaps that extremist groups may seek to exploit.

For Damascus, the takeover of Qasrak supports a narrative of gradual state restoration. For Washington and its partners, however, the development raises fresh questions about how counter-terrorism operations in Syria will be sustained if the coalition continues to scale back its direct presence.

Syria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs welcomed the completed handover of the bases, saying it demonstrated the government’s efforts to bring the country under a single state authority, including border areas and the northeast, which had long operated outside Damascus’s control, Al Jazeera reported.

The ministry said the handover had been carried out in full coordination with the United States, describing it as further evidence of a constructive relationship that has developed since al-Sharaa’s meeting with US President Donald Trump at the White House in November.

The previous US withdrawal took place at al-Tanf on February 11, with Syrian authorities announcing the handover a day later. Located in southern Syria near the borders with Jordan and Iraq, the base had long been one of Washington’s key positions in the country.