Al-Tanf
Military base in the Syrian desert, formerly used by the U.S.-led coalition
Al-Tanf (Arabic: التَّنْف) is a military base in a part of the Rif Dimashq Governorate, Syria, which is used by the Syrian Armed Forces. It is located 24 km (15 mi) west of the al-Walid border crossing in the Syrian Desert. The garrison is located along a critical road known as the Route 2 Baghdad–Damascus Highway. The surrounding deconfliction zone was located along the Iraq–Syria border and the Jordan–Syria border. The Rukban refugee camp for internally displaced Syrians was located within the deconfliction zone.
A significant United States Armed Forces and allied European 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 in December 2016. It has served as the headquarters of the Syrian Free Army until June 2025, and then of the 70th Division of the post-Assad Syrian Army, and eventually of the Syrian Desert Security Forces since October 2025. During the civil war, the area was subjected to a number of attacks by Islamic State, Ba'athist Syrian, pro-Iranian, and Russian forces, notably the Tower 22 drone attack on the Jordanian side of the border. The remaining American military personnel departed to Jordan on 11 February 2026.
History
Establishment
In May 2015, Islamic State (IS, also known as ISIS) militants captured the border checkpoint at Al-Tanf, thus obtaining control over the full length of the Iraq–Syria border.
This brief starts where responsible research should: with the source description of “Al-Tanf” as military base in the Syrian desert, formerly used by the U.S.-led coalition. Everything that follows is an evidence route, not borrowed authority.
Why this record matters
The subject matters to the general reference register because the source frames it as military base in the Syrian desert, formerly used by the U.S.-led coalition. Its deeper value depends on whether names, dates, institutions and citations support that framing.
The citation trail is more important than the brevity of the summary: it shows where individual claims can be examined in context. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 18, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q43881656. Authority coordinates are 33.437, 38.836. 1 of 4 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 2016, 2025, 2026 and 2015.
Overview language is designed for orientation and should not be treated as a substitute for the evidence cited beneath it. The source lead contains qualifying language; that uncertainty should survive quotation, summary and reuse. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Use the entry as an orientation point, then follow its citations and revision history. Names, dates and institutional relationships should be checked against the original record.
- Subject orientation
- Search vocabulary
- Locating named sources
The closest primary source, responsible institution and strongest cited specialist reference.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Al-Tanf”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Al-Tanf primary sources, Al-Tanf archive and Al-Tanf research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Al-Tanf”?
- Which institution is responsible for the underlying evidence?
- Which cited source is closest to the event, object or claim?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Al-Tanf” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.