U.S. forces leaving Syria.

After years of fighting ISIS and guarding key oil fields, U.S. troops have started pulling out of Syria, with equipment and personnel already crossing into northern Iraq.

The move, confirmed by Pentagon officials, signals a major drawdown of America’s presence in northeastern Syria. Troops had been stationed there since 2015, first to dismantle ISIS strongholds, and later to secure oil fields seen as critical to stabilizing the region and limiting terrorist funding.

Over the past several weeks, U.S. forces have dismantled outposts and moved convoys of equipment across the border. Officials say the shift is part of a broader plan to consolidate American forces and reduce the growing risks to troops operating in hostile territory.

While ISIS no longer controls large areas, small insurgent cells remain active. U.S. commanders have warned that the security situation is fragile, and that Kurdish-led forces, longtime American allies, could face mounting pressure from both ISIS remnants and Turkish-backed militias once U.S. support thins out.

The Pentagon stressed that the U.S. will continue counterterrorism operations in the region, but through a smaller footprint based largely out of Iraq.

“We’re adjusting our posture,” one official said. “The mission isn’t ending—but how we do it is changing.”

The withdrawal marks yet another chapter in America’s long history of hard landings and harder exits in the Middle East.