By Natasha Bertrand, Zachary Cohen, CNN

(CNN) — US military forces have departed a strategic military garrison in Syria after more than a decade “as part of a deliberate and conditions-based transition” to a smaller US footprint in the country, US Central Command said on Thursday.

The US troops at al-Tanf garrison had primarily been focused on anti-ISIS efforts as part of Combined Joint Task Force-Operation Inherent Resolve. The Pentagon announced in April 2025 that it would begin consolidating its presence in Syria following the territorial defeat of ISIS in 2019.

“U.S. forces remain poised to respond to any ISIS threats that arise in the region as we support partner-led efforts to prevent the terrorist network’s resurgence,” CENTCOM Commander Adm. Brad Cooper said in a statement. “Maintaining pressure on ISIS is essential to protecting the U.S.
homeland and strengthening regional security.”

Syria’s defense ministry said in a statement on Thursday that its army has now taken control of al-Tanf in coordination with the United States.

US officials have heavily invested in supporting Syria’s new president, Ahmed Al-Sharaa, as his government has worked to secure control over Syria following its successful effort to overthrow Bashar al-Assad in December 2024. Al-Sharaa previously led a US-designated terrorist group and until recently had a $10 million US bounty on his head but has attempted to transition what had been a hodgepodge resistance force into a governing authority in the country.

An ISIS ambush in Palmyra in December killed two Iowa Army National Guard soldiers and an American interpreter. Following the attack US officials pledged a continued focus on targeting ISIS in the region, and as recently as last week CENTCOM forces “located and destroyed an ISIS communication site, critical logistics node, and weapons storage facilities with 50 precision munitions delivered by fixed-wing, rotary-wing, and unmanned aircraft,” according to a statement.

Syria’s military forces are currently made up of an array of fighters from different backgrounds and with varying extremist views and affiliations, CNN has reported. But the Trump administration has made clear that it backs Al-Sharaa as Syria’s new leader, painting his extremist ties as a thing of the past and emphasizing his partnership in targeting ISIS in the region.

In November, Al-Sharaa became the first Syrian head of state to visit the White House. “He’s a very strong leader,” President Donald Trump told reporters at the time, calling Al-Sharaa “a tough guy from a tough place.” The visit came after the US partially lifted sanctions on Syria, marking a major shift in relations between the two countries.

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By Kaitlan Collins, CNN

(CNN) — Gail Slater, who ran the antitrust division for the Justice Department for nearly a year, was fired by the Trump administration this week, two people familiar with the matter told CNN.

Slater, who suggested in a post on X Thursday she was leaving on her own, had been repeatedly at odds with Attorney General Pam Bondi and the West Wing for months, the sources said. Her removal as the antitrust chief was viewed as a long time coming, and it remains to be seen who fills her role on a permanent basis.

Bondi issued tepid praise of Slater in a statement Thursday.

“On behalf of the Department of Justice, we thank Gail Slater for her service to the Antitrust Division which works to protect consumers, promote affordability, and expand economic opportunity,” the attorney general said.

The friction between Slater and President Donald Trump’s White House had been clear for months. In December, Trump issued a “full and unconditional pardon” for Oak View Group co-founder Tim Leiweke, who was indicted by his own Justice Department — in a case led by Slater — earlier in 2025.

“As outlined in the indictment, the Defendant rigged a bidding process to benefit his own company and deprived a public university and taxpayers of the benefits of competitive bidding,” Slater said in a statement at the time.

Slater said in her Thursday post on X: “It is with great sadness and abiding hope that I leave my role as AAG for Antitrust today. It was indeed the honor of a lifetime to serve in this role.”

This is a developing story and will be updated.

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Por Kaanita Iyer, CNN

Dos embarcaciones de Estados Unidos chocaron en el Caribe durante una operación de reabastecimiento el miércoles, lo que dejó dos heridos leves, dijo a CNN un portavoz militar.

La colisión, entre el destructor de misiles guiados clase Arleigh Burke USS Truxtun y el buque de apoyo de combate rápido USNS Supply, está bajo investigación, dijo hoy a CNN un portavoz del Comando Sur de Estados Unidos. La información fue reportada primero por The Wall Street Journal.

Ambas embarcaciones reanudaron posteriormente la navegación y las dos personas heridas están en “condición estable”, añadió el Comando Sur.

A finales del verano pasado, Estados Unidos reforzó su presencia militar alrededor de América Latina como parte de su campaña para combatir a los carteles. El USS Truxtun, que fue comisionado en 2009, partió de la Estación Naval de Norfolk para su despliegue a inicios de este mes como parte de ese esfuerzo.

El USNS Supply, el mayor buque logístico de combate de la Armada, forma parte del Military Sealift Command, una flota de embarcaciones que proporciona equipos, combustible, suministros y municiones a las fuerzas de Estados Unidos en todo el mundo.

En octubre, un porcentaje significativo de todos los activos navales desplegados de Estados Unidos a nivel global se encontraba en el Comando Sur, el comando militar responsable de las operaciones en la región.

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