Al-Tanf

Al-Tanf
التَّنْف
5th SFG (A) operators in a landing zone at Al-Tanf, November 2017
5th SFG (A) operators in a landing zone at Al-Tanf, November 2017
Nickname: 
55 KM area
The "55 kilometer area": Location of the base in southeastern Syria and its surrounding "deconfliction zone"
Al-Tanf is located in Syria
Al-Tanf
Al-Tanf
Location of Al-Tanf, Syria
Coordinates: 33°30′21″N 38°37′04″E / 33.50583°N 38.61778°E / 33.50583; 38.61778
Country Syria
GovernorateHoms
Occupation United States
DistrictTadmur
SubdistrictAl-Sabe' Biyar
RegionAl-Tanf Pocket (جيب التنف)
Established3 March 2016[1]
Government
 • Rebel commanderMuthanna Tala[2] (MaT)
Time zoneUTC+2 (EET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+3 (EEST)
Map

Al-Tanf (Arabic: التَّنْف) is a U.S. military base in an American occupied part of the Homs Governorate, Syria. It is located 24km (15 mi) west of the al-Walid border crossing in the Syrian Desert. The surrounding deconfliction zone is located along the Iraq–Syria border and the Jordan–Syria border. The garrison is located along a critical road known as the M2 BaghdadDamascus Highway. The Rukban refugee camp for internally displaced Syrians is located within the deconfliction zone.

A significant United States Armed Forces presence at the outpost began in early 2016 during the American-led intervention in the Syrian civil war in order to train anti-Islamic State fighters of the New Syrian Army armed opposition group, which was dissolved and reemerged as the Revolutionary Commando Army (Maghawir al-Thawra) in December 2016. As of 2024, the Al-Tanf base continues to serve as the headquarters for the Revolutionary Commando Army and a contingent of at least 200 U.S. soldiers operating on behalf of the CJTF-OIR Coalition.

  1. ^ "New Syrian Army will 'liberate eastern Syria' from IS". The New Arab. 11 March 2016. Retrieved 22 October 2017.
  2. ^ Muhammad Ersan (1 June 2017). "Syrian rebel commander: 150 US troops at al-Tanf base". Al-Monitor. Archived from the original on 12 June 2017.