US moves forces, equipment out of northeast Syria base

Qamishli: US forces are withdrawing from a key base in northeastern Syria, officials said Monday, in what appears to be part of a larger drawdown of US forces in Syria.

Iraqi and Syrian security officials said that the US military had begun moving its forces and equipment from the Qasrak base in Syria to Iraq’s semi-autonomous Kurdish region.

Associated Press journalists in the city of Qamishli in northeast Syria saw a convoy of dozens of trucks carrying military vehicles and equipment on Monday, with military helicopters circling overhead, moving toward the Iraqi border.

The US military’s Central Command did not respond to a request for comment, nor did the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, which control the area around the Qasrak base.

A senior Iraqi security official said evacuation of the base had begun on Sunday and that on Monday.agencies