US troops pull out of major Iraq airbase amid ongoing regional consolidation effort, progress against ISIS

U.S. troops person pulled retired of Ain al-Asad Airbase successful Iraq, Fox News has learned. 

The withdrawal from the base, which is portion of an ongoing effort to consolidate troops successful the portion that was announced past fall, was completed by Friday, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) sources told Fox News. 

"We're capable to consolidate due to the fact that of the important advancement made determination — ISIS successful Iraq doesn't airs a menace beyond Iraq's capableness to grip connected their own," a U.S. authoritative told Fox News. The officials added that it speaks to "our occurrence successful rooting retired the ISIS menace successful Iraq and Iraqi forces' willingness and advancement successful lasting connected their own."

The authoritative added that U.S. forces are consolidating extracurricular of national Iraqi territory, meaning they’re concentrating forces elsewhere to absorption connected engaging remnants of ISIS successful Syria. 

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A U.S. Airman attaches a GBU-31 munitions strategy to an F-15E Strike Eagle.  (U.S. Air Force via Reuters)

The determination comes arsenic CENTCOM is calling for practice and teamwork among Syrian partners successful coordination with American forces to combat ISIS.

"We invited ongoing efforts by each parties successful Syria to forestall escalation and prosecute solution done dialogue. We besides impulse Syrian authorities forces to cease immoderate violative actions successful areas betwixt Aleppo and al-Tabqa. Aggressively pursuing ISIS and relentlessly applying subject unit requires teamwork among Syrian partners and coordination with U.S. and conjugation forces. A Syria astatine bid with itself and its neighbors is indispensable to bid and stableness crossed the region," Adm. Brad Cooper, CENTCOM commander, said successful a connection posted connected X.

The connection appeared to beryllium a telephone for further coordination successful countering ISIS alternatively than a informing to Damascus.

On Jan. 10, CENTCOM announced that the U.S., alongside spouse forces, conducted large-scale strikes against ISIS targets successful Syria. 

According to CENTCOM, the strikes were portion of Operation Hawkeye Strike, which was announced connected Dec. 19, 2025 astatine the absorption of President Donald Trump. The cognition was launched "in nonstop effect to the deadly ISIS onslaught connected U.S. and Syrian forces successful Palmyra, Syria," CENTCOM said successful a statement.

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Military forces conducted strikes successful Syria connected ISIS targets connected Jan. 10, amid President Donald Trump's vow of revenge connected the panic radical for the ambush deaths of 2 U.S. soldiers.  (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

The Jan. 10 strikes came arsenic U.S. Special Envoy for Syria Tom Barrack said helium met successful Damascus with Syria’s caller enactment to sermon the country’s future.

"Today, connected 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 squad successful Damascus," Barrack wrote connected X.

Barrack said the talks focused connected "recent developments successful Aleppo and the broader way guardant for Syria’s historical transition," adding that the United States "welcomes Syria’s historical modulation and extends its enactment to the Syrian authorities nether President Ahmed al-Sharaa."

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A U.S. worker writes connected a munitions' strategy arsenic the U.S. subject launched large-scale strikes against dozens of ISIS targets successful Syria successful retaliation for an onslaught connected U.S. personnel.  (U.S. Air Force via Reuters)

War Secretary Pete Hegseth announced the motorboat of Operation Hawkeye Strike backmost successful December, saying it was successful effect to an onslaught connected U.S. forces successful Syria that occurred connected Dec. 13. Hegseth said the actions were "not the opening of a war" but alternatively "a declaration of vengeance."

"Earlier today, U.S. forces commenced OPERATION HAWKEYE STRIKE successful Syria to destruct ISIS fighters, infrastructure, and weapons sites successful nonstop effect to the onslaught connected U.S. forces that occurred connected December 13th successful Palmyra, Syria," Hegseth wrote connected X.

On Dec. 19, American subject forces employed much than 100 precision munitions to onslaught much than 70 targets of suspected ISIS sites astatine respective locations crossed the past metropolis of Palmyra successful cardinal Syria.

Trump antecedently vowed revenge connected the panic radical aft 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 portion conducting a cardinal person engagement, portion of their ngo successful enactment of ongoing counter-ISIS/counter-terrorism operations successful the region.

The gunman was killed by spouse forces.

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"Because of ISIS’s vicious sidesplitting of brave American Patriots successful Syria, whose beauteous souls I welcomed location to American ungraded earlier this week successful a precise dignified ceremony, I americium hereby announcing that the United States is inflicting precise superior retaliation, conscionable arsenic I promised, connected the murderous terrorists responsible," helium wrote connected Truth Social connected Dec. 19.

Fox News Digital's Jasmine Baehr and Louis Casiano, and Fox News' Lucas Tomlinson contributed to this report.