Washington has significantly reduced its troop presence in Syria, its special envoy to the country Thomas Barrack has said, amid warming ties with Damascus after a rebel uprising toppled former president Bashar al-Assad in December. 

The reduction reflects the shifting regional security landscape and improved relations between the former pariah state and the White House. It follows a Pentagon announcement earlier this year that the US would consolidate bases and troop numbers.

The troop drawdown is “happening”, Barrack, who also serves as US ambassador to Ankara, told Turkish broadcaster NTV in an interview on Monday evening. “We’ve gone from eight bases, to five, to three. We’ll eventually go to one,” he said, adding that regional partners would need to bolster a new security arrangement.