US occupation loots tons of Syrian oil, smuggles them into Iraq

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
17 Aug 2023 22:09
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Syrian oil gets looted, once again, by US occupation forces occupying parts of the country's north as 40 vehicles smuggle hundreds of tons across the border into Iraq.

A US military convoy drives near the town of Qamishli, north Syria, Saturday, Oct. 26. 2019 (AP)

Once again, US occupation forces, occupying areas rich in oil in northern Syria, stole tons of Syrian oil from Al-Jazeera oil field and smuggles them into US occupation bases in Iraq.

According to local sources, over the past hours, the US occupation forces managed to transfer hundreds of tons of stolen Syrian oil to Iraq through a 40-vehicle convoy through the illegal Al-Mahmudiyah border crossing.

The Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA), Syria's official news agency, reported that "a convoy comprising 40 tankers loaded with stolen Syrian oil headed, via the illegitimate Al-Mahmudiya border crossing, towards the occupation bases in Iraq."

In August 2022, the Syrian Oil Ministry revealed that the US occupation forces loot the majority of Syria's oil, knowing that the daily production of the eastern oil fields is 80.3 thousand barrels.

The United States has been for years supporting the so-called Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) militias, and the US-backed forces are currently occupying parts of the provinces of Al-Hasakah, Deir Ezzor, and Raqqa, where the largest Syrian oil and gas fields are located.

The actions carried out by the United States constitute state piracy with the aim of plundering Syria's oil resources and depriving the Syrians of their own resources amid a harsh economic situation caused largely by the US occupiers.

US troops claim to be occupying the area in order to rid the region of terrorists, yet the US has strategically implanted itself there for the purposes of stealing Syria's natural resources as well as destabilizing President Bashar Al-Assad's government.

In December of 2022, Syria's Foreign Ministry said the US occupation forces and their affiliated military groups' systematic lootings of Syrian oil, wheat, and other national resources have amounted to direct losses valued at $25.9 billion and indirect losses valued at over $86 billion.

US-led coalition making 'suspicious' movements near Syria-Iraq border

The US-led coalition forces are carrying out suspicious helicopter flights over the base of Ain Al-Assad in Al-Anbar Governorate near the Iraqi-Syrian borders, an Al Mayadeen correspondent reported on August 12.

The Deputy Head of Russia's Center for Reconciliation of the Opposing Sides in Syria, Rear Admiral Oleg Gurinov, said drones of the so-called US-led international counterterrorism coalition in Syria violated flight safety rules 315 times during the month of June.

"There are continued gross violations of the deconflicting protocols and the bilateral Memorandum on Flight Safety in Syria by the US-led so-called international coalition. The violations are deliberate and systematic, and their number has increased significantly compared with last year. In June 2023, there were 315 cases of violations related to flights of drones and ‘coalition’ aviation," TASS quoted Gurinov as saying.

Gurinov said Russian forces used high-precision strikes to eliminate illegal armed formations in the Idlib de-escalation zone, resulting in the destruction of several command posts, ammunition depots, and 18 militants.

Moreover, Gurinov said in early July that the so-called US-led international counterterrorism coalition in Syria has committed 14 violations of uncoordinated drone flights in one day.

"During the past day, 14 violations of the Memorandum of Understanding on Prevention of Flight Safety Incidents in the course of operations in the Syrian Arab Republic dated October 20, 2015, related to flights of unmanned aerial vehicles uncoordinated with the Russian side by the 'international anti-terrorist coalition' led by the United States were recorded," Gurinov told a briefing.

In the past months, the US has been activating its arms system on Russian aircraft over Syria. Gurinov said Russian pilots have logged such actions in eastern Syria, noting that the US continues to breach deconfliction protocols with Russia and the air safety agreement in Syria.