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US occupation forces, SDF militants steal 53 tankers of oil from Syria to Iraqi bases

Sunday, 15 January 2023 7:02 AM [ Last Update: Sunday, 15 January 2023 11:31 AM ]

American military vehicles are seen in an oil-rich region in Syria’s northeastern province of Hasakah. (Photo via Twitter)

US occupation forces and their allied militants have deployed scores of tanker trucks to smuggle crude oil from Syria’s northeastern province of Hasakah to bases in neighboring Iraq as part of their ferocious attempts to further plunder natural resources in war-torn Syria.

Syria’s official news agency SANA, citing local sources in al-Ya'rubiyah town, reported that a convoy of 53 tankers, laden with stolen oil from the energy-rich Jazira region, rumbled through the illegal Mahmoudiya border crossing on Saturday, and headed towards Iraqi territories.

SANA noted that the convoy was escorted by US-sponsored and Kurdish-led militants affiliated with the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).

الاحتلا*ل الأمريكي يواصل سرقة #النفط_السوري من حقول #الجزيرة
التفاصيل على الرابط التالي:https://t.co/nOffrzRa5B pic.twitter.com/2HpcAXVPcx
— الوكالة العربية السورية للأنباء - سانا (@SanaAjel) January 14, 2023

On Friday, Syria's Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources Bassam Tou'ma held US military occupation of oil-rich northern Syria, Washington’s continued looting of natural reserves in the Arab country as well as cruel unilateral sanctions responsible for the immense suffering that the Syrian nation is enduring.

Tou’ma pointed to the challenges that Syrians are facing in the energy field, stating that the foreign-sponsored conflict has resulted in a steep decline in the production of oil, gas, and electricity.

He urged foreign companies to participate in Syria’s development projects, whether in oil and gas exploration or investment in renewable energies.

US Syria looting: Occupation forces smuggle 60 trucks of oil, wheat to Iraq

The American occupation forces use dozens of trucks to smuggle crude oil and wheat from Syria to their bases in northern Iraq as Washington continues to loot resources in the war-ravaged country.

The US military has for long stationed its forces and equipment in northeastern Syria, with the Pentagon claiming that the deployment is aimed at preventing the oilfields in the area from falling into the hands of Daesh Takfiri terrorists.

Damascus, however, says the deployment is meant to plunder the Arab country’s natural resources. Former US president Donald Trump admitted on several occasions that American forces were in the Arab country for its oil wealth.

US Syria looting: Occupation forces smuggle 95 tankers of stolen oil into Iraq overnight

US occupation forces steal more Syrian oil through Iraq’s illegal crossings.

In December 2022, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson lambasted the US military’s deployment of troops in Syria and its smuggling of oil and grain as illegal.

“The US stationing of troops in Syria is illegal. The US smuggling of oil and grain from Syria is illegal. The US missile attack against Syria is also illegal,” Zhao Lijian told a daily news briefing in the capital Beijing.

The Chinese diplomat cited official data from the Syrian government that between 2011 and the first half of 2022, the US smuggling activities have cost Syria more than 100 billion dollars of losses.

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