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Muhannad al-Talla, a commander of Maghawir al-Thawra, told BuzzFeed that US forces are in fact preparing to withdraw from the al-Tanf base in eastern Syria. Al-Talla claimed that he was even helping to inventory and remove equipment.
Maghawir al-Thawra is a US-backed militant group, which operates in the al-Tanf zone. The group had been receiving support and equipment from the US-led coalition for a long time and was a useful toll in the US effort to control the Damascus-Baghdad highway.
Initially, the at-Tanf base was a part of the US effort to prevent a ground link between Iran, Iraq, Syria and Lebanon. The idea was to take control of the entire Syrian-Iraqi border establishing on the Syrian side the areas held by pro-US forces. However, this plan appeared to be a failure when the Syrian Army and its allies liberated the town of al-Bukamal on the Baghdad-Palmyra highway.
Despite this, the al-Tanf remained one of the key US tools of projecting power in this part of Syria. If it’s evacuated, the entire area will likely be liberated by the Syrian Army in the nearest future.
