{{short description|Military base in the Syrian desert}} {{Redirect|Tanf|the US welfare program|Temporary Assistance for Needy Families}} {{Use dmy dates|date=December 2024}} {{Infobox settlement | name = Al-Tanf | native_name = التَّنْف | native_name_lang = ar | settlement_type = Syrian military base | image_skyline = Al-Tanf.jpg | image_caption = A UH-60 of the RJAF joins up with 5th SFG (A) operators in a landing zone at Al-Tanf, November 2017 | image_flag = | image_seal = | seal_alt = | nickname = 55 KM Area | pushpin_map = Syria | pushpin_map_caption = Location of Al-Tanf, Syria | image_map = | map_caption = | coordinates = {{coord|33|30|21|N|38|37|04|E|display=inline,title}} | coor_pinpoint = | coordinates_footnotes = | subdivision_type = Country | subdivision_name = {{Flag|Syria}} | subdivision_type1 = Governorate | subdivision_name1 = Rif Dimashq | subdivision_type2 = District | subdivision_name2 = Douma | subdivision_type4 = Region | subdivision_name4 = Al-Tanf Pocket ({{lang|ar|جيب التنف}}) (until 2024) | established_title = Established | established_date = 3 March 2016<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.alaraby.co.uk/english/indepth/2016/3/12/new-syrian-army-will-liberate-eastern-syria-from-is-|title=New Syrian Army will 'liberate eastern Syria' from IS|website=The New Arab|date=11 March 2016|accessdate=22 October 2017}}</ref> | parts_type = Occupants | parts_style = para | p1 = {{nowrap|{{flagicon image|Flag of the Syrian Armed Forces.svg}} Syrian Armed Forces (since 2026)}}<br>{{flagicon|United States}} U.S. troops (2016–2026)<br>{{flagicon|Syrian opposition}} Syrian Free Army (2016–2025) | timezone1 = UTC+3 (AST) | mapframe = yes | mapframe-zoom = 10 | mapframe-wikidata = yes }}
'''Al-Tanf''' ({{langx|ar|التَّنْف}}) is a military base in a part of the Rif Dimashq Governorate, Syria, which is used by the Syrian Armed Forces. It is located 24 km (15 mi) west of the al-Walid border crossing in the Syrian Desert. The garrison is located along a critical road known as the M2 Baghdad–Damascus Highway. The surrounding deconfliction zone was located along the Iraq–Syria border and the Jordan–Syria border. The Rukban refugee camp for internally displaced Syrians was located within the deconfliction zone.
A significant United States Armed Forces and allied European presence at the outpost began in early 2016 during the American-led intervention in the Syrian civil war in order to train anti-Islamic State fighters of the New Syrian Army armed opposition group, which was dissolved and reemerged as the Revolutionary Commando Army in December 2016. It has served as the headquarters of the Syrian Free Army<ref>{{Cite web |title=Free Syrian Army Commander: Attacks on Tanf Base Aimed at Sparking Side Conflicts |url=https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/4205756/free-syrian-army-commander-attacks-tanf-base-aimed-sparking-side-conflicts |access-date=6 December 2024 |website=Asharq Al-Awsat |language=en}}</ref> until June 2025, and then of the 70th Division of the post-Assad Syrian Army, and eventually of the Syrian Desert Security Forces since October 2025. During the civil war, the area was subjected to a number of attacks by Islamic State, Ba'athist Syrian, pro-Iranian, and Russian forces, notably the Tower 22 drone attack on the Jordanian side of the border. The remaining American military personnel departed to Jordan on 11 February 2026.
==History== {{See also|American-led intervention in the Syrian Civil War#Ground operations}} {{Further|Al-Tanf offensive (2016)|Syrian Desert campaign (May–July 2017)|Palmyra offensive (2024)}}
===Establishment=== In May 2015, Islamic State (IS, also known as ISIS) militants captured the border checkpoint at Al-Tanf, thus obtaining control over the full length of the Iraq–Syria border. The U.S.-backed New Syrian Army rebel faction recaptured the Al-Tanf post on the Syrian side of the border in early March 2016, and the Al-Waleed border crossing on the Iraqi side of the border was recaptured by Iraqi pro-government tribal militias backed by U.S.-led forces in early August.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.iraqinews.com/iraq-war/shia-militia-with-international-coalition-liberate-waleed-along-syrian-border/|title=Shia militia with international coalition liberate Waleed along Syrian border|date=3 August 2016 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.albawaba.com/news/iraqi-tribal-militia-seizes-strategic-border-area-daesh-869736|title=Iraqi tribal militia seizes strategic border area from Daesh}}</ref> In August 2016, the BBC published photographs taken in June that year which it said showed United Kingdom Special Forces soldiers apparently guarding the perimeter of the Al-Tanf base.<ref name=bbc-23892783>{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-37015915 |title=UK special forces pictured on the ground in Syria |publisher=BBC |date=8 August 2016 |accessdate=9 November 2016 | first=Quentin| last= Sommerville}}</ref>
In March 2017, the Revolutionary Commando Army (RCA), successor of the New Syrian Army, re-opened the border crossing, resuming cross-border civilian traffic. A group referred to as the Army of Iraqi Tribes was said to control the Iraqi side of the crossing.<ref name="Syria Direct 2017">{{cite web|title=Rebels reopen border crossing between Syria, Iraq|work=Syria Direct|date=29 May 2017|url=https://syriadirect.org/rebels-reopen-border-crossing-between-syria-iraq/|access-date=25 August 2022|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210730181123/https://syriadirect.org/rebels-reopen-border-crossing-between-syria-iraq/|archive-date=30 July 2021}}</ref> In April–May 2017, it was reported that U.S. 5th Special Forces Group were training Syrian rebels at Al-Tanf.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.buzzfeed.com/mitchprothero/us-special-forces-are-secretly-training-syrian-rebels-and|title= US Special Forces Are Secretly Training Syrian Rebels And Fighting Alongside Them}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://sofrep.com/79258/details-emerge-about-special-forces-base-in-syria-nearly-overrun-by-isis-medals-for-valor-to-be-awarded/|title= Details emerge about Special Forces base in Syria nearly overrun by ISIS, medals for valor to be awarded}}</ref> On 17 June 2017, the Iraqi Armed Forces announced that the Iraqi Army and Sunni tribal fighters, supported by U.S.-led Coalition aircraft, had dislodged IS from the Iraqi side of Al-Waleed border crossing.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-mideast-crisis-iraq-syria-idUSKBN19807Y |title=Iraqi forces remove Islamic State fighters from vicinity of U.S. base in Syria|date=17 June 2017 |work=Reuters|accessdate=17 June 2017}}</ref>
[[File:Green Beret MEDEVAC exercise near ATG.jpg|thumb|U.S. Green Berets conducting a medevac exercise during a patrol within the Deconfliction Zone on 27 May 2020]]
By late 2017, Arab media began calling the "deconfliction area" around the Tanf base "the 55 km area", as it was composed of a half-circle area with a radius of 55 km (35 miles) with the base at its center. By 2019, the Combined Joint Task Force – Operation Inherent Resolve (CJTF-OIR) anti-IS coalition referred to the area simply as the '''Deconfliction Zone''' ('''DCZ''') with the '''Al-Tanf Garrison''' ('''ATG''') at the center.<ref name=captagon/>
===Operational history=== In September 2017, Russian government-owned media outlet RIA Novosti reported, with a reference to unnamed military and diplomatic sources, that the U.S. had voiced readiness to leave Al-Tanf but did not say when.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.kommersant.ru/doc/3415793|title=США сообщают о готовности уйти с базы Ат-Танф в Сирии|publisher=Kommersant|date=20 September 2017}}</ref> In August 2018, U.S. State Department representative William V. Roebuck traveled to Syria. "We are prepared to stay here, as the president Donald Trump has made clear," he said after meeting with Kurdish rebel officials.<ref>{{cite news |title=US will 'sell out' Rojava Kurds: Hezbollah chief |url=https://www.rudaw.net/english/middleeast/syria/260820181 |agency=Rudaw}}</ref>
By 2018, the Al-Tanf area hosted five Free Syrian Army factions including the Lions of the East Army, the Forces of Martyr Ahmad al-Abdo, the Army of Free Tribes, the Revolutionary Commando Army (also known as Maghawir al-Thawra), and Al-Qaryatayn Martyrs Brigade.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Abu layth |first1=Askandar |title=ماذا تعرف عن قاعدة "التنف" الأميركية في سوريا؟ |url=https://horrya.net/archives/43611 |website=حرية برس Horrya press |language=ar-AR |date=3 January 2018}}</ref> The U.S. referred to them as part of the "Vetted Syrian Opposition". According to the U.S., these fighters were permitted only to launch offensives against IS and not against Bashar al-Assad's Syrian Arab Armed Forces, though clashes with pro-Syrian government elements have occurred.<ref name="auto">{{Cite news|first=Christopher |last=Woody |title=ISIS fighters got inside the wire during a hellish firefight with US Special Ops in Syria |date=11 April 2017 |newspaper=Business Insider |url=http://www.businessinsider.com/isis-attack-on-us-troops-at-al-tanf-in-southern-syria-2017-4 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170413044118/http://www.businessinsider.com/isis-attack-on-us-troops-at-al-tanf-in-southern-syria-2017-4 |archive-date=13 April 2017 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="auto1">{{Cite news|first=Corey |last=Dickstein |title=US forces help repel ISIS attack on southern Syrian base |date=10 April 2017 |newspaper=Stars and Stripes |url=https://www.stripes.com/news/us-forces-help-repel-isis-attack-on-southern-syrian-base-1.462898 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170413045033/https://www.stripes.com/news/us-forces-help-repel-isis-attack-on-southern-syrian-base-1.462898 |archive-date=13 April 2017 |url-status=live}}</ref>
[[File:Al-tanf Marines.jpg|thumb|3rd Battalion, 7th Marines attached to SP-MAGTF-CR-CC during Operation Apex Teufelhunden,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.dvidshub.net/video/625444/operation-apex-teufelhunden-b-roll |title=Operation Apex Teufelhunden B-Roll|work=DVIDS|date=7 September 2018|access-date=16 January 2022}}</ref> a live fire exercise near Al-Tanf, on 7 September 2018]]
In a February 2018 letter, the U.S. military justified its occupation by citing the doctrine of collective self-defense as necessary to defend Iraq, the U.S. itself, and other states from IS and other active terrorist groups.<ref>{{cite web |title=Kaine-Trump ISIS War Letters |url=https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/4383185-Kaine-Trump-ISIS-war-power-letters.html |website=www.documentcloud.org |publisher=Charlie Savage |access-date=30 March 2023}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Savage |first=Charlie |date=2018-02-22 |title=U.S. Says Troops Can Stay in Syria Without New Authorization |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/22/us/politics/isis-syria-american-troops.html |access-date=2026-02-12 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> In October 2018, General Joseph Votel, commander of United States Central Command (CENTCOM), stated that U.S. forces in Al-Tanf did not "have a counter Iranian mission here. We have a ''defeat ISIS'' mission," but nevertheless acknowledged that American presence in the area had "an indirect effect on some malign activities that Iran and their various proxies and surrogates would like to pursue down here."<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/military/inside-remote-u-s-base-syria-central-combating-isis-countering-n922991|work=NBC News|title=Inside the remote U.S. base in Syria central to combating ISIS and countering Iran|date=22 October 2018|access-date=9 December 2021}}</ref> On 7 September 2018, the CENTCOM announced a CJTF-OIR live fire exercise around the Al-Tanf garrison, named Operation Apex Teufelhunden. The announcement described it as a "defeat-ISIS exercise".<ref>{{cite web |title=OIR Coalition conducts defeat-ISIS exercise in eastern Syria |url=http://www.centcom.mil/MEDIA/PRESS-RELEASES/Press-Release-View/Article/1623358/oir-coalition-conducts-defeat-isis-exercise-in-eastern-syria/ |accessdate=12 September 2018 |publisher=CENTCOM}}</ref>
After the announced withdrawal of U.S. troops from Syria, U.S. National Security Advisor John R. Bolton said in early 2019 that U.S. operations in the Al-Tanf area would continue as a part of the U.S. effort to counter "Iranian influence" in Syria.<ref name="BoltonIran">{{cite news|url=https://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2019/01/07/bolton_puts_conditions_on_plan_for_withdrawal_from_syria_139108.html|title=Bolton Puts Conditions on Plan for Withdrawal From Syria|date=7 January 2019}}</ref> On 28 January 2019, Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi ruled out the prospect of Jordanian forces seizing control of Al-Tanf after American ground troops leave Syria, saying, "Al-Tanf is on the other side of the Jordanian border. As I said, Jordan will not cross its border. We will take every measure we have to protect our security...but arrangements on the other side of the border after withdrawal will have to be agreed by all parties, and they have to ensure the safety and security in the area."<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/jordan-wont-take-over-al-tanf-after-us-withdrawal-from-syria/ |title=Jordan wont take over Al-Tanf after US withdrawal from Syria |access-date=29 January 2019 |archive-date=29 January 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190129074527/https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/jordan-wont-take-over-al-tanf-after-us-withdrawal-from-syria/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>
The Trump administration announced on 22 February 2019 that around 400 U.S. troops would remain in Syria post-withdrawal, with about half garrisoned in areas under the control of the Democratic Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria with another half stationed at the Al-Tanf garrison.<ref>{{cite news|work=Fox News|date=22 February 2019|url=https://www.foxnews.com/us/us-pushes-nato-allies-to-join-observer-force-in-syria|title=US pushes NATO allies to join observer force in Syria}}</ref> The 200 at Al-Tanf were to remain indefinitely.<ref name="HillTrump2019">{{cite news|last=Mitchell|first=Ellen|title=Trump backs off total Syria withdrawal|work=The Hill|date=24 February 2019|url=https://thehill.com/policy/defense/431289-trump-backs-off-total-syria-withdrawal/|access-date=25 August 2022|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220424220600/https://thehill.com/policy/defense/431289-trump-backs-off-total-syria-withdrawal/|archive-date=24 April 2022}}</ref>
On 4 June 2019, representatives of more than 30 countries participated in a meeting with the command of CJTF-OIR in Kuwait where the issue of stepping up efforts to fight terrorism in Iraq and Syria was discussed.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.inherentresolve.mil/Media-Library/News-Releases/Article/1865270/cjtf-oir-holds-ambassadors-day-at-union-iii/|title=CJTF-OIR holds Ambassadors Day at Union III|website=Operation Inherent Resolve|language=en-US|access-date=20 June 2019|archive-date=20 June 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190620191814/https://www.inherentresolve.mil/Media-Library/News-Releases/Article/1865270/cjtf-oir-holds-ambassadors-day-at-union-iii/|url-status=dead}}</ref> Amid a period of heightened regional tensions with Iran, the Pentagon announced on 18 June that another 1,000 troops will be deployed to the Middle East, presumably including the Al-Tanf base.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.cnn.com/2019/06/17/politics/us-additional-troops-iran-tensions/index.html|title=US sending 1,000 additional troops to Middle East amid Iran tensions|author=Nicole Gaouette|work=CNN|access-date=20 June 2019}}</ref> In October 2019, in the context of the pullout of American troops from northern Syria, ''The New York Times'' reported that the Pentagon was planning to "leave 150 Special Operations forces at a base called al-Tanf".<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/14/world/europe/syria-us-assad-kurds-turkey.html|title=Assad Forces Surge Forward in Syria as U.S. Pulls Back|work=The New York Times|date=14 October 2019}}</ref> In November 2019, U.S. President Donald Trump stated that U.S. troops were in Syria "only for oil".<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/nov/13/donald-trump-syria-oil-us-troops-isis-turkey|title=Trump contradicts aides and says troops in Syria 'only for oil'|author=Julian Borger|date=13 November 2019|work=The Guardian}} [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U10p3Tn9V5Y (Video)]</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Trump keeps talking about 'keeping' Middle East oil. That would be illegal.|date=5 November 2019|author=James G. Stewart|newspaper=The Washington Post|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/2019/11/05/trump-keeps-talking-about-keeping-middle-east-oil-that-would-be-illegal/}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title='We're keeping the oil' in Syria, Trump says, but it's considered a war crime|author=Conor Finnegan|date=28 October 2019|work=ABC News|url=https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/keeping-oil-syria-trump-considered-war-crime/story?id=66589757}}</ref>
On 23 October 2019, the RCA reportedly seized $3.5 million worth of Captagon pills heading to the Rukban refugee camp in a major bust on weapons and drug smuggling of IS underground networks.<ref name=captagon>{{cite news|url=https://www.inherentresolve.mil/Releases/News-Releases/Article/2017223/massive-35-million-drug-bust-at-at-tanf-by-coalition-partnered-security-force/|title=Massive $3.5 million drug-bust at At Tanf by Coalition-partnered security force|date=14 November 2019|accessdate=26 November 2019|work=InherentResolve.mil}}</ref> On 16 April 2020, a number of Syrian rebels at Al-Tanf base defected to the Syrian government in a convoy.<ref name="SzubaDefPost2020">{{cite web|last=Szuba|first=Jared|title=Defectors quit last US-backed rebel group in Syria, head for regime territory|website=The Defense Post|date=16 April 2020|url=https://www.thedefensepost.com/2020/04/16/syria-rebels-defect-maghawir-al-thawra/|access-date=25 August 2022|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220615085529/https://www.thedefensepost.com/2020/04/16/syria-rebels-defect-maghawir-al-thawra/|archive-date=15 June 2022}}</ref>
[[File:Green Beret, Maghaweir al-Thowra patrol southern Syria, 29 April 2020.jpg|thumb|U.S. Green Berets and Maghawir al-Thawra (MaT/RCA) on a joint patrol near Al-Tanf, 29 April 2020]] In May 2020, the U.S. military published images of special operations forces personnel at Al-Tanf training with an advanced Israeli-made Smart Shooter SMASH 2000 "smart" optical sighting system attached to their M4A1 rifles. It was unclear if special operations units in the region had actually adopted the computerized optic or if the training was part of field trials or another type of demonstration.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/33794/special-operators-in-syria-are-first-american-unit-to-use-computerized-sights-on-their-rifles|work=The Drive|title=Special Operators In Syria Are First American Unit To Use Computerized Sights On Their Rifles|date=1 June 2020|access-date=6 December 2021}}</ref>
In 2021, it was reported that Al-Tanf hosted around 350 foreign military personnel and civilians, including some members of British and French forces.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://breakingdefense.com/2021/10/drone-attack-in-syria-may-be-warning-of-things-to-come/|date=26 October 2021|access-date=11 December 2021|title=Drone Attack In Syria May Be Warning Of Things To Come|work=Breaking Defense}}</ref> In August 2022, it was reported that there are approximately 900 U.S. troops in Syria, with most of them split between the Al-Tanf base and Syria's eastern oil fields.<ref name="CNN15Aug2022Drones" />
In October 2024, U.S. officers in Al-Tanf placed the Abu Khatab Brigade and other rebel units under the joint command of the RCA as the Syrian Free Army (SFA). The number of fighters then grew from 800 to up to 3,000. All of them continued to be armed by the U.S. and received a monthly salary of 400 dollars, almost twelve times what the Assad government conscripts had received. For the 2024 offensives, the SFA and HTS worked together and communications between the two forces were coordinated by the Americans in Al-Tanf.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2024/12/18/us-prepared-syrian-rebel-group-to-help-topple-bashar-assad/ |title=US 'prepared Syrian rebel group to help topple Bashar al-Assad' – Fighters funded and trained by America and Britain tell The Telegraph they had advance warning regime would be overthrown |work=The Telegraph |date=18 December 2024}}</ref>
thumb|A SFA soldier stands atop a watchtower at a combat outpost in the Deconfliction Zone at Al-Tanf, 23 December 2024 In December 2024, the Syrian Free Army launched the Palmyra offensive (2024) from Al-Tanf on Palmyra, with logistical support from U.S. forces.<ref name="MEM6Dec">{{cite news |date=6 December 2024 |title=US-backed Syrian Free Army advances in Homs, with reports of clashes with regime forces in Palmyra |url=https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20241206-us-backed-syrian-free-army-advances-in-homs-with-reports-of-clashes-with-regime-forces-in-palmyra/ |publisher=Middle East Monitor |access-date=6 December 2024}}</ref> Within two days, the SFA quickly captured Palmyra and then proceeded to enter the Syrian capital city Damascus from the east during the ensuing fall of the Assad regime.
===Attacks on the base=== {{See also|Attacks on US bases during the Middle Eastern crisis (2023–present)#Syria}}
On 8 April 2017, Islamic State launched a complex and coordinated attack against a United States Special Operations Forces outpost at Al-Tanf. IS started the attack by striking the base with a suicide car bomb and then assaulting with around 20-30 suicide commandos. The attack was repelled first by gunfire from the allied rebels and U.S. special forces, followed by airstrikes from the CJTF-OIR coalition which killed most of the IS force and destroyed their vehicles. Three Syrian rebels were also reported dead.<ref name="auto"/><ref name="auto1"/><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/mideast-crisis-syria-border-idINKBN17B095 |title=Islamic State launches two suicide attacks on U.S.-backed Syrian rebels|author=Suleiman al-Khalidi|date=9 April 2017|publisher=Reuters}}</ref>
On 18 May 2017, U.S. fighter jets struck a column of pro-Assad militia forces advancing towards the base, reportedly destroying two T-62 tanks.<ref>{{Cite news |date=19 May 2017 |title=US-led coalition hits pro-Assad fighters' convoy |pages=1–2 |work=Al Jazeera |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2017/5/19/us-led-coalition-hits-pro-assad-fighters-convoy |url-status=live |access-date=19 May 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231214062009/https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2017/5/19/us-led-coalition-hits-pro-assad-fighters-convoy |archive-date=14 December 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2017/05/syria-russia-condemn-led-strike-pro-assad-forces-170519080857161.html |title=Syria, Russia condemn U.S.-led strike on pro-Assad forces|work=Al Jazeera|accessdate=12 September 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/05/18/us-fighter-jets-bomb-assad-tank-convoy-advancing-coalition-base/ |title=US jets bomb Assad tank convoy advancing on coalition base in Syria|first=Josie|last=Ensor |newspaper=The Telegraph |date=18 May 2017|publisher=|accessdate=12 September 2018|via=telegraph.co.uk}}</ref> Shortly thereafter, Syrian government forces were reported to continue their Syrian Desert campaign (May–July 2017), using advanced Russian-made weapons and were supported by Russian helicopters, according to a report acknowledged on 26 May by the Russian Defence Ministry's Zvezda media outlet.<ref>[https://tvzvezda.ru/news/vstrane_i_mire/content/201705261525-kfts.htm Ми-35 ВКС РФ наносит удар по террористам у границ Иордании: видео] Zvezda (TV channel), 26 May 2017.</ref> At the end of December 2017, the Chief of the Russian General Staff Valery Gerasimov said that the U.S. garrison at Al-Tanf was fully isolated by Syrian government forces following the desert offensive in the area.<ref>[https://ria.ru/syria/20171227/1511782760.html?referrer_block=index_main_4 США готовят боевиков на базе в Эт-Танфе, рассказали в Генштабе] RIA Novosti, 27 December 2017.</ref><ref>[https://www.kp.ru/daily/26775/3808693/ Начальник Генштаба Вооруженных сил России генерал армии Валерий Герасимов: «Мы переломили хребет ударным силам терроризма»] ''Komsomolskaya Pravda'', 26 December 2017.</ref>
Around 16 February 2020, an Iranian-backed "rogue"<ref>{{cite news |newspaper=Military Times |date=16 February 2020 |url=https://www.militarytimes.com/flashpoints/2020/02/16/iran-backed-group-launches-attack-near-small-garrison-in-syria-housing-american-special-operators/ |title=Iran-backed group launches attack near small garrison in Syria housing American special operators |first=Shawn |last=Snow |quote=Maghaweir al-Thowra, an anti-IS U.S.-backed group, operates out of small garrison near the Iraq border. It tweeted Sunday that an Iran proxy launched an attack against its forces and breached the 55 km deconfliction zone that surrounds a small garrison housing American commandos known as al-Tanf. The anti-IS fighters said that they repelled the attack and that the Syrian regime had lost control of its allies – which the MAT described as a "rogue Iranian proxy."}}</ref><ref>{{cite tweet |number=1229020219173195776 |user=MaghaweirThowra |author=Maghaweir al-Thowra |date=16 February 2020 |title=New intelligence suggests that #Iranian_proxies operating outside the control of the #Syrian_Regime attacked the Maghaweir Al-Thowra inside the 55km DCZ The Maghaweir Al-Thowra defended itself and repelled the aggressors. The Syrian Regime has lost control of its allies. #Altanf}}</ref> proxy group reportedly breached the deconfliction zone at Al-Tanf, and were then repelled by the RCA.
On 20 October 2021, the base was attacked by drones in the 2021 Al-Tanf drone attack, causing no injuries.<ref name=nbc-20211021>{{cite news |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/attack-hits-syria-base-houses-us-troops-no-us-injuries-rcna3466 |title=Attack hits Syria base that houses US troops; no U.S. injuries |agency=Associated Press |publisher=NBC News |date=21 October 2021 |access-date=22 December 2021}}</ref> On 14 December 2021, a Royal Air Force Typhoon FGR4 shot down a small hostile drone with an ASRAAM near the base.<ref name="a2akill">{{cite news |title=First air-to-air engagement by RAF Typhoon carried out in Syria |url=https://www.forces.net/news/first-air-air-engagement-raf-typhoon-carried-out-syria |access-date=16 December 2021 |work=BFBS |date=16 December 2021}}</ref><ref name=mod-20211216>{{cite news |url=https://www.gov.uk/government/news/update-air-strikes-against-daesh |title=Update: air strikes against Daesh |via=gov.uk |publisher=Ministry of Defence |date=16 December 2021 |access-date=22 December 2021}}</ref>
In June 2022, Russia carried out airstrikes at the Al-Tanf military base, after first notifying the United States of their intentions, allowing local forces to relocate before the strike. U.S. officials said that Russia claimed the RCA had carried out a roadside bomb attack on Russian forces, though the officials stated they did not believe this and accused Russia of just looking for a reason to carry out airstrikes in the location.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Russia Carries Out Airstrikes On U.S. Base Near Syria's Border With Jordan |url=https://www.defconlevel.com/news/2022-06-18/russia-carries-out-airstrikes-on-us-base-near-syrias-border-with-jordan.php |access-date=19 June 2022 |website=Defcon Level Warning System |language=en}}</ref>
The United States reported a drone attack in the vicinity of the Al-Tanf base on the night of 15 August 2022.<ref name="CNN15Aug2022Drones" /> All but one of the drones were repelled and despite a single drone detonating in a compound used by the Maghaweir al-Thowra, the attack did not result in any casualties or damage.<ref name="CNN15Aug2022Drones">{{cite news|last=Kaufman|first=Ellie |title=US-led coalition forces repel drone attack near base in Syria|work=CNN|date=15 August 2022|url=https://www.cnn.com/2022/08/15/politics/drone-at-tanf-syria/index.html |access-date=25 August 2022|url-status=live|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20220817070558/https://www.cnn.com/2022/08/15/politics/drone-at-tanf-syria/index.html |archive-date=17 August 2022}}</ref> Shortly thereafter, the Syrian Foreign Ministry released a statement demanding that "the American side must immediately and unconditionally withdraw its military forces that are present on the territory of Syria illegally."<ref name="Newsweek17Aug2022SyriaDemand">{{cite news|last=Bickerton|first=James |title=Syria demands U.S. withdraw forces "immediately" after rocket strike|work=Newsweek|date=17 August 2022|url=https://www.newsweek.com/syria-demands-us-withdraw-forces-immediately-after-rocket-strike-1734451 |access-date=25 August 2022|url-status=live|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20220825195455/https://www.newsweek.com/syria-demands-us-withdraw-forces-immediately-after-rocket-strike-1734451 |archive-date=25 August 2022}}</ref>
On 24 August 2022, U.S. President Joe Biden ordered airstrikes against claimed Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps targets after a number of rockets struck near the U.S. military base at Al-Tanf on 15 August and an airstrike by the Russian military in an area held by the Syrian opposition. The U.S. strikes targeted eleven bunkers in Deir ez-Zor used to store weapons, according to the CENTCOM.<ref name="Liebermann Alkhshali Bertrand Cole 2022">{{cite news|last1=Liebermann|first1=Oren|last2=Alkhshali|first2=Hamdi|last3=Bertrand|first3=Natasha|last4=Cole|first4=Devan|last5=Kaufman|first5=Ellie |last6=Callahan|first6=Michael |title=Biden orders airstrikes against Iranian-backed groups in Syria following attacks near base holding US troops last week|work=CNN|date=24 August 2022|url=https://www.cnn.com/2022/08/23/politics/syria-airstrikes-iranian-backed-groups-biden/index.html |access-date=25 August 2022}}</ref><ref name="Phil Stewart 2022">{{cite news|author1=Phil Stewart|author2=Idrees Ali|title=U.S. military carries out strike in Syria on Iran-linked targets|work=Reuters|date=24 August 2022|url=https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/us-military-carries-out-strike-syria-iran-linked-targets-2022-08-24/ |access-date=25 August 2022}}</ref> A spokesperson for the Iranian foreign ministry denied that Iran had any link to targets hit and condemned the strike as "a violation of Syria's sovereignty and territorial integrity".<ref name="Reuters 2022 Iran Denies">{{cite news|title=Iran denies any link to targets hit by U.S. in Syria|work=Reuters|date=24 August 2022|url=https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/iran-denies-any-link-targets-hit-by-us-syria-2022-08-24/ |access-date=25 August 2022}}</ref><ref name="Middle East Eye 2022">{{cite news|title=Syria clashes leave US soldier wounded and Iran-backed fighters killed|work=Middle East Eye|date=24 August 2022|url=https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/syria-us-service-member-wounded-military-says |access-date=25 August 2022}}</ref>
Another drone attack on Al-Tanf in mid-October 2023 left 15 U.S. soldiers with traumatic brain injury and two other soldiers with minor injuries.<ref name=PoliticoOct2023>{{cite news|author=Lara Seligman|work=Politico|date=25 October 2023|access-date=27 October 2023|title= 19 U.S. troops diagnosed with traumatic brain injury following attacks in Iraq and Syria|url=https://www.politico.com/news/2023/10/25/several-u-s-troops-report-brain-injury-from-attacks-in-iraq-and-syria-00123485}}</ref> All injured U.S. personnel had returned to duty by 12 November.<ref>{{cite news|title=US announces fresh strikes on Iran-linked sites in Syria|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/nov/13/us-announces-fresh-strikes-on-iran-linked-sites-in-syria |date=12 November 2023|access-date=13 November 2023|work=The Guardian}}</ref>
On 28 January 2024, the Tower 22 drone attack carried out at Tower 22, a military outpost near Al-Tanf on the Jordanian side of the border, resulted in three U.S. soldiers killed and more than 30 injured.<ref>{{cite news|title=3 US service members killed in Iran-backed drone attack in Jordan|url=https://www.politico.com/news/2024/01/28/americans-killed-jordan-iran-syria-00138243 |date=28 January 2024|access-date=28 January 2024|work=Politico}}</ref> The Islamic Resistance in Iraq, an Iran-backed militia, claimed responsibility for the attack.<ref>{{cite news|title=Three US service members killed in 'despicable' drone attack in Jordan, Biden says|url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/jan/28/us-service-members-killed-drone-attack-jordan |date=28 January 2024|access-date=28 January 2024|work=The Guardian}}</ref>
=== Post-Assad era === On 29 October 2025, the Syrian troops stationed at Al-Tanf base were transferred from the 70th Division under the Ministry of Defense to the Ministry of Interior and assigned to the Desert Security Forces under Ahmad al-Tamer.<ref name=TN>{{cite web |author1=Nada Maucourant Atallah |title='We knew ISIS would never give up': Inside Syria's crackdown on a resurgent threat |url=https://www.thenationalnews.com/news/mena/2025/10/25/we-knew-isis-would-never-give-up-inside-syrias-crackdown-on-a-resurgent-threat/ |publisher=The National |access-date=25 October 2025}}</ref> The unit will presumably continue to operate in the Syrian Desert, which is a hotspot for ISIS activity.<ref>{{cite web |title=اندماج "جيش سورية الحرة" ضمن وزارة الداخلية السورية |url=https://www.alaraby.co.uk/politics/%D8%A7%D9%86%D8%AF%D9%85%D8%A7%D8%AC-%D8%AC%D9%8A%D8%B4-%D8%B3%D9%88%D8%B1%D9%8A%D8%A9-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AD%D8%B1%D8%A9-%D8%B6%D9%85%D9%86-%D9%88%D8%B2%D8%A7%D8%B1%D8%A9-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AF%D8%A7%D8%AE%D9%84%D9%8A%D8%A9-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B3%D9%88%D8%B1%D9%8A%D8%A9 |publisher=Al-Araby Al-Jadeed |access-date=29 October 2025 |language=ar}}</ref>
On 11 February 2026, "American forces withdrew entirely from Al-Tanf base today," a Syrian military source told Agence France-Presse. Another Syrian military source said U.S. forces had been removing equipment from the base for the past 15 days and would "continue to coordinate with [personnel in Al-Tanf] from Jordan."<ref>{{Cite web |date=2026-02-11 |title=US troops leave Syrian base for Jordan |url=https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/article-886377 |access-date=2026-02-12 |website=The Jerusalem Post |language=en}}</ref> The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that the Al-Tanf base was handed over to the 54th Division under the Ministry of Defense, marking a complete withdrawal of the international coalition from the base towards Jordan.<ref>{{cite web |title=Handing over position to Ministry of Defence |url=https://www.syriahr.com/en/377631/ |publisher=Syrian Observatory for Human Rights |date=11 February 2026}}</ref> U.S. CENTCOM and the Government of Syria confirmed the U.S. withdawal from Al-Tanf on 12 February.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2026-02-13 |title=U.S. Forces Depart Base in Syria during Orderly Transition |url=https://www.centcom.mil/MEDIA/PRESS-RELEASES/Press-Release-View/Article/4404940/us-forces-depart-base-in-syria-during-orderly-transition/ |access-date=2026-02-13 |website=CENTCOM |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Syria takes control of al-Tanf base from U.S. forces |url=https://sana.sy/en/politics/2296267/ |publisher=SANA |date=12 February 2026}}</ref>
==Criticism== Ba'athist Syria<ref name="Euronews2019leavesyria"/> deemed the U.S. military presence in Al-Tanf illegal and "consider[ed] the presence of Turkish and U.S. troops on its territory as an aggression and demands immediate and unconditional withdrawal of foreign forces from its territory."<ref>{{cite web |date=20 November 2020 |title=Al Tanf garrison: America's strategic baggage in the Middle East |url=https://www.brookings.edu/blog/order-from-chaos/2020/11/20/al-tanf-garrison-americas-strategic-baggage-in-the-middle-east/ |accessdate=13 February 2021 |work=Brookings Institution}}</ref> The Iranian, Russian, and Chinese governments<ref name=China2023>{{cite web|title=China Blasts America's "Illegal" Occupation Of Syria|date=21 March 2023|access-date=4 April 2023|work=Gulf Insider|url=https://www.gulf-insider.com/china-blasts-americas-illegal-occupation-of-syria/|archive-date=5 April 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230405054208/https://www.gulf-insider.com/china-blasts-americas-illegal-occupation-of-syria/|url-status=dead}}</ref> publicly supported the Ba'athist government's position, regularly criticizing the American presence in southeastern Syria. China's foreign minister has called on the United States to "respect other countries' sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity, immediately end the troops' illegal occupation and plundering in Syria."<ref name=ChinaNews2023>{{cite web|date=11 March 2023|access-date=4 April 2023|title=China urges U.S. to end illegal occupation, plundering in Syria: FM spokesperson|url=https://english.news.cn/20230311/4f6a41c98ab748758f6649599bd44a9d/c.html}}</ref><ref name=China2023 />
On 8 February 2018, following the Battle of Khasham in eastern Syria, in which the Syrian Democratic Forces and United States inflicted multiple casualties among Russian mercenaries of the Wagner Group, the Russian foreign ministry spokesperson, Maria Zakharova said: "The unlawful American armed presence in Syria presents a serious challenge to the peace process and to the country's territorial integrity and unity. A 55-kilometer zone unilaterally created by Americans around their military base near al-Tanf is being used by the scattered units of ISIS militants" for evading pursuit by government forces and re-grouping.<ref>[http://www.mid.ru/ru/press_service/spokesman/briefings/-/asset_publisher/D2wHaWMCU6Od/content/id/3062808#2 О развитии ситуации в Сирии // Брифинг официального представителя МИД России М.В.Захаровой, Москва, 8 февраля 2018 года]</ref> In mid-February 2018, Russia's foreign minister Sergey Lavrov said that U.S. military presence in Syria generally and in the area of Al-Tanf specifically "was illegal and unacceptable."<ref name="euronews2018Lavrov">{{cite news|title=Exclusive: US forces 'illegally in Syria' Sergey Lavrov tells euronews|work=Euronews|date=16 February 2018|url=https://www.euronews.com/2018/02/16/exclusive-us-special-forces-operating-illegally-in-syria-sergey-lavrov-tells-euronews|access-date=25 August 2022|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220825193142/http://www.euronews.com/2018/02/16/exclusive-us-special-forces-operating-illegally-in-syria-sergey-lavrov-tells-euronews|archive-date=25 August 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mid.ru/en/foreign_policy/news/-/asset_publisher/cKNonkJE02Bw/content/id/3078435|title=Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov's interview with Euronews channel, February 16, 2018|website=mid.ru|accessdate=12 September 2018}}</ref><ref>[https://ria.ru/syria/20180216/1514820418.html США должны закрыть в Сирии зону деконфликтинга в Ат-Танфе, заявил Лавров] RIA Novosti, 16 February 2018.</ref>
On 27 February 2019, Syria and Russia released a joint statement demanding all U.S. forces leave Syria, while also demanding U.S. forces allow Russian and Syrian authorities to evacuate the Rukban refugee camp along the Jordanian border to "relocate people in the Rubkan area and guarantee them safe passage to their places of permanent residence". Russia argued that the U.S. was holding the refugee camp "hostage" and potentially as human shields within the territory.<ref name="Euronews2019leavesyria">{{cite news|last=Matamoros|first=Cristina Abellan|title=Russia and Syria call for US troops to leave Syria|work=Euronews|date=27 February 2019|url=https://www.euronews.com/2019/02/27/russia-and-syria-call-for-us-troops-to-leave-syria|access-date=25 August 2022|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220825192407/https://www.euronews.com/2019/02/27/russia-and-syria-call-for-us-troops-to-leave-syria|archive-date=25 August 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Russia Claims U.S. Holding Refugee Camp 'Hostage' to Stay in Syria After Donald Trump Changes His Mind Again on Leaving|date=6 March 2019|url=https://www.newsweek.com/russia-us-refugees-hostage-syria-trump-1354059|work=Newsweek|accessdate=30 March 2019}}</ref> According to a 24 March report by the Voice of America, the Revolutionary Commando Army Syrian rebel group, which has been maintaining aid access and provides security for the Rukban camp, said both refugees and U.S.-backed rebels in the zone depended on U.S. protection against attacks by pro-Syrian government militias and Islamic State-affiliated jihadists. A Rukban camp spokesman asserted that it was the Syrians and Russians that were "embargoing" the camp to force the refugees into reconciliation and to pressure U.S. troops to leave the strategically important base.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.voanews.com/a/displaced-syrians-deny-claims-that-us-detains-them-in-al-tanf-camp/4846123.html|title=Displaced Syrians Deny Claims that US Detains Them in Al-Tanf Camp|date=24 March 2019|accessdate=30 March 2019|work=VOA}}</ref>
The Wikipedia article about the subject has also been criticised in the past. According to a 2019 ''The New York Times'' video report, "the internet is also full of conspiracy theories about the base. Some seem to have been influenced by Russia's statements. Take Al-Tanf's Wikipedia page. The original entry smears the Al-Tanf rebels by calling them armed gangs and militants that are training terrorists, who the U.S. helps transport. The user who wrote all this has uploaded photos elsewhere that show a Russia connection [to the English Wikipedia article]." According to the same report, "Al-Tanf is just one example of how Russia's presence in Syria has contributed to yet another reason the U.S. mission has expanded — preventing unchecked Russian influence."<ref>{{Cite news |last=Botti |first=David |date=2019-02-04 |title=Video: First Came ISIS, Then Iran: How the Mission at a U.S. Base in Syria Kept Growing |url=https://www.nytimes.com/video/world/middleeast/100000005800945/us-base-syria-isis.html |access-date=2026-02-12 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref>
==See also== * List of United States military bases in Syria
==References== {{reflist|colwidth=30em}} __FORCETOC__
==External links== * Video {{cite news|title=First Came ISIS, Then Iran: How the Mission at a U.S. Base in Syria Kept Growing|work=The New York Times|date=4 February 2019|url=https://www.nytimes.com/video/world/middleeast/100000005800945/us-base-syria-isis.html|access-date=25 August 2022|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220804092152/https://www.nytimes.com/video/world/middleeast/100000005800945/us-base-syria-isis.html|archive-date=4 August 2022}}
{{Syrian civil war}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tanf}} Category:Military installations of Syria Category:Military installations established in 2016 Category:Rif Dimashq Governorate Category:American involvement in the Syrian civil war Category:Military installations of the United States in Syria