In milestone, US pulls out of strategic Syria base and hands it over to Damascus

The U.S. military said it completed a withdrawal from a strategic base in Syria on Thursday, handing it over to Syrian forces, in the latest sign of strengthening U.S.-Syrian ties that could enable an even larger American drawdown.

The al-Tanf garrison is positioned at the tri-border confluence of Syria, Jordan and Iraq.

Established during Syria’s civil war in 2014, the United States initially relied on it as a hub for operations by the U.S.-led coalition against Islamic State...