The US has begun withdrawing hundreds of troops from the northeastern part of Syria. Several military bases in the country are also being closed, according to The New York Times. The US military leadership is closing three out of eight of its small operating bases in northeast Syria.

The departure would return force levels to where they had been for years, after the U.S. and its allies waged a multiyear campaign to defeat ISIS.

The U.S. military is withdrawing hundreds of troops from Syria, a shift the Pentagon is framing as a “consolidation” that reflects the changing security environment in the country. “Recognizing