Hundreds of American troops have been withdrawn from Syria, according to US officials, in line with US President Donald Trump’s new approach to the region and as a direct result of the fall of the Assad regime.

Axar.az informs “The consolidation of US forces in Syria is safe, deliberate, and conditions-based,” a US defense official told Al Arabiya.

An estimated 500 troops were withdrawn in recent weeks, and multiple US bases were handed over to the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) or shut down, Fox News reported on Monday, citing US officials.

Fox News also reported that Mission Support Site Green Village was shut down, while MSS Euphrates was handed over to the SDF. According to the officials who spoke to Fox News, a third base was also vacated.

US officials confirmed to Al Arabiya English that a number of troops had been deployed elsewhere and that the bases were shut down or handed over within the last month.

CENTCOM referred questions on the matter to Chief Pentagon Spokesman Sean Parnell’s announcement of the consolidation of forces in April.

That statement said the US would consolidate troops in Syria under Combined Joint Task Force – Operation Inherent Resolve (OIR) to select locations in the country, bringing down the US footprint in Syria to less than 1,000.

“As this consolidation takes place, consistent with President Trump’s commitment to peace through strength, US Central Command will remain poised to continue strikes against the remnants of ISIS in Syria,” Parnell said at the time.

US envoy for Syria Tom Barrack said in an interview with Turkey’s NTV late on Monday that “the reduction of our OIR engagement on a military basis is happening,”

“We’ve gone from eight bases to five to three. We’ll eventually go to one.”