US withdraws forces from Syria’s Aleppo

US forces yesterday pulled out of the Sabta base in the northern Syrian province of Aleppo, sources said.

The base was located near the village of Surrin, south of the city of Ayn Al-Arab, also known as Kobani. Xinuha quoted sources today, revealing that dozens of trucks left the US-run base having fully evacuated it, removing all equipment.

It was also reported that following the evacuation, footage showed the American trucks passing through a Syrian-controlled site where regime soldiers held a Syrian flag and waved it in front of the departing trucks.

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In other developments, an image posted yesterday on Twitter shows an abandoned US base in the town of Ain Issa, with its flag replaced with a Russian one. The town was taken by the Syrian government forces hours after Damascus agreed to help the Kurdish YPG who allowed the army in to face the Turkish Operation Peace Spring.

Russian flag replaced the US flag at this base in Ain Issa. pic.twitter.com/aVPKIILDO5

— Lindsey Snell (@LindseySnell) November 3, 2019

The US withdrawal is taking place at a time when there has been a gradual increase in US deployment in other parts, notably the oil fields in the eastern part of the country. ISW News, reported that the US has its sights set on the former Syrian Army 113th air base north of Deir Ez-Zor, which is currently in the hands of the so-called Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), of which former US ally the Kurdish YPG is a member. It is believed the new base will reduce the Syrian state’s manoeuvrability to enter east of Deir Ez-Zor’s oil wells.

The opposition-aligned, UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights also said the US is planning to create three military bases in north-eastern Syria, mainly in the city of Al-Qamishli, which is controlled by the SDF.

READ: 900 US troops to be left in Syria after ‘withdrawal’