US forces have been involved in a recurrent and alarming pattern of transporting stolen Syrian oil across the Iraqi border, as reported by local sources in the Yarubiya countryside, Syrian media reported.
These activities include a notable convoy, observed on various occasions, comprising 50 tankers loaded with oil pilfered from the Syrian al-Jazeera fields.
This convoy departed through the illegal Mahmoudiya crossing, making its way towards Iraqi territory.
Furthermore, another convoy, consisting of 45 vehicles, including covered trucks, refrigerators, three tankers, and several tanks, was reported to have traversed the illegal al-Walid crossing, heading in the direction of Iraq.
These instances of oil transportation are not isolated, as evidenced by an earlier incident on January 6, when a convoy of 34 covered trucks, containers, and large tankers was observed moving from US bases in Syria to their counterparts in northern Iraq via the al-Walid illegal crossing.
Reports from December shed light on similar activities, with a US occupation convoy, this time involving 40 tankers loaded with stolen Syrian oil, leaving in batches through the illegal Mahmoudiya crossing.
This continuous flow of oil theft, crossing into Iraqi territory, seems to be a persistent concern.
The Syrian Oil Ministry, addressing this matter on August 9, accused US forces occupying Syria of being the primary culprits behind the theft of a significant portion of the country’s oil.
According to the ministry’s statement, the first half of 2022 witnessed the theft of approximately 66,000 barrels daily from fields in the eastern region, constituting around 83 percent of Syria’s daily oil production.
This egregious act has inflicted staggering losses, reaching an estimated $105 billion since the commencement of the war until the middle of the year, as per the ministry’s data.
The accusation specifically points to the US occupation forces and their associates, including the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), as key actors in this ongoing oil theft campaign.