Fox News has confirmed that U.S. military forces have withdrawn from Ain al-Asad Airbase in Iraq.
This troop withdrawal concludes a strategic initiative to streamline forces in the area, which was initially announced last autumn. According to sources from U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), the process was finalized by Friday.
A U.S. official explained to Fox News, “Our consolidation efforts are possible due to the substantial progress achieved. ISIS no longer represents a threat that extends beyond Iraq’s own capabilities to manage.” The official further noted that this development highlights “our success in eliminating the ISIS threat in Iraq and the growing competence and independence of Iraqi forces.”
Additionally, the official mentioned that U.S. forces are now regrouping outside of Iraq’s federal territories, shifting focus to address ISIS remnants in Syria.
A U.S. Airman is seen attaching a GBU-31 munitions system to an F-15E Strike Eagle. (U.S. Air Force via Reuters)
This strategic realignment coincides with CENTCOM’s call for cooperation and collaboration with Syrian partners, working alongside American forces to tackle the ISIS threat.
“We welcome ongoing efforts by all parties in Syria to prevent escalation and pursue resolution through dialogue. We also urge Syrian government forces to cease any offensive actions in areas between Aleppo and al-Tabqa. Aggressively pursuing ISIS and relentlessly applying military pressure requires teamwork among Syrian partners and coordination with U.S. and coalition forces. A Syria at peace with itself and its neighbors is essential to peace and stability across the region,” Adm. Brad Cooper, CENTCOM commander, said in a statement posted on X.
The statement appeared to be a call for additional coordination in countering ISIS rather than a warning to Damascus.
On Jan. 10, CENTCOM announced that the U.S., alongside partner forces, conducted large-scale strikes against ISIS targets in Syria.
According to CENTCOM, the strikes were part of Operation Hawkeye Strike, which was announced on Dec. 19, 2025, at the direction of President Donald Trump. The operation was launched “in direct response to the deadly ISIS attack on U.S. and Syrian forces in Palmyra, Syria,” CENTCOM said in a statement.
Military forces conducted strikes in Syria on ISIS targets Jan. 10 amid President Donald Trump’s vow of revenge on the terror group for the ambush deaths of two U.S. soldiers. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
The Jan. 10 strikes came as U.S. special envoy for Syria Tom Barrack said he met in Damascus with Syria’s new leadership to discuss the country’s future.
“Today, on behalf of President Donald J. Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, I met with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani, and members of their team in Damascus,” Barrack wrote on X.
Barrack said the talks focused on “recent developments in Aleppo and the broader path forward for Syria’s historic transition,” adding that the United States “welcomes Syria’s historic transition and extends its support to the Syrian government under President Ahmed al-Sharaa.”
A U.S. soldier writes on a munitions’ system as the U.S. military launched large-scale strikes against dozens of ISIS targets in Syria in retaliation for an attack on U.S. personnel. (U.S. Air Force via Reuters)
War Secretary Pete Hegseth announced the launch of Operation Hawkeye Strike in December, saying it was in response to an attack on U.S. forces in Syria Dec. 13.
Hegseth said the actions were “not the beginning of a war” but rather “a declaration of vengeance.”
“Earlier today, U.S. forces commenced OPERATION HAWKEYE STRIKE in Syria to eliminate ISIS fighters, infrastructure, and weapons sites in direct response to the attack on U.S. forces that occurred on December 13th in Palmyra, Syria,” Hegseth wrote on X.
On Dec. 19, American military forces employed more than 100 precision munitions to strike more than 70 targets of suspected ISIS sites at several locations across the ancient city of Palmyra in central Syria.
Trump previously vowed revenge on the terror group after the soldiers — Sgt. Edgar Brian Torres-Tovar, 25, of Des Moines, Iowa, and Sgt. William Nathaniel Howard, 29, of Marshalltown, Iowa — and interpreter Ayad Mansoor Sakat of Michigan were killed while conducting a key leader engagement, part of their mission in support of ongoing counter-ISIS/counter-terrorism operations in the region.
The gunman was killed by partner forces.
“Because of ISIS’s vicious killing of brave American Patriots in Syria, whose beautiful souls I welcomed home to American soil earlier this week in a very dignified ceremony, I am hereby announcing that the United States is inflicting very serious retaliation, just as I promised, on the murderous terrorists responsible,” Trump wrote on Truth Social Dec. 19.
