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U.S. Base in Syria Counters Iran's Expansion
(Washington Post) Missy Ryan - The tiny U.S. military base at Tanf in southern Syria was established to roll back the Islamic State's once-vast domain. But its strategic position along a highway linking Damascus to Tehran has made the base an unintended bulwark against Iranian influence in Syria and, now, a potential locus in White House plans to confront Iran's reach across the region. Officials now say the U.S. will remain in Syria until Iranian forces depart. Gen. Joseph Votel, who leads U.S. Central Command, speaking during a visit to the base Monday, said the U.S. presence there makes it harder for Tehran to build up its military presence in Syria. As U.S. officials launch a newly intensified bid, led by the State Department, to hammer out a political end to the war in Syria, "We are trying to provide leverage for our diplomats as they pursue their objectives," Votel said. The garrison is manned by several hundred foreign troops and a similarly sized force of Syrian fighters. The ongoing U.S. presence at Tanf "demonstrates that the United States is not about leaving the Middle East in general or Syria in particular until we have a security situation that meets our needs and the needs of our allies - Jordan, Israel, Turkey and Iraq," a U.S. official said.