Syria condemns US ‘systematic looting’ of its resources, oil in NE, calls for immediate withdrawal of occupation forces

Damascus has strongly condemned the actions of US occupation forces in the country’s northeast, saying they amount to a blatant violation of the Syrian sovereignty and territorial integrity, and a flagrant breach of international law.

In a letter addressed to the UN secretary general as well as president of the Security Council on Wednesday, Syria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates renewed the country's calls for an immediate and unconditional withdrawal of US forces from the territory.

It also expressed Damascus’ “strong condemnation on the almost daily hostile practices of the US forces within the areas which they have occupied in … al-Jazira,” Syria’s official news agency (SANA) reported.

The ministry added that the US occupation forces continued their regular hostile measures in the area, including “systematic looting … of the Syrian resources, agricultural crops and oil from … al-Jazira, in addition to bringing in huge military reinforcement, logistic equipment, various kinds of weapons, tools and military vehicles from Iraq” to some of the US military bases in the countryside of al- Yaarubiyah town in Hasakah province via the al-Waleed crossing.

The ministry stressed that the aggressive movements have been done in defiance of “the UN Security Council Resolutions, which have always emphasized the necessity of respecting Syria’s sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity,” including Resolution 2254.

“Therefore, Syria, based on its respect for the international law and the UN Charter, calls for stopping the US’ heinous aggressive practices and calls upon the international community to condemn the US movements and continued occupation of the Syrian lands and its imposition of the unilateral coercive economic measures with the aim of starving the Syrian people,” the ministry asserted.

US stealing Syrian oil via pipelines in Tigris into Iraqi territory: Report

US forces and allied militants keep stealing Syrian national oil from the eastern province of Hasakah via pipelines laid in Tigris into Iraqi territory, a report says.

The ministry enumerated certain “aggressive” policies by the US that have destabilized Syria, including its support for “separatist movements” seeking Syria’s breakup and its unwavering support for “extremist terrorists,” adding that Washington also “worked on creating and managing chaos to hinder any political solution in Syria in serving the Zionist project and imposing hegemony on the countries of the region.”

Warning that the continuation of the US policies will prolong instability in Syria, the ministry voiced the resolution of the Syrian people and army who have “achieved the bravest resilience and victories against the Takfiri terrorism” to end “all forms of US presence and its tools and agents in Syria” while helping establish control over all the Syrian territories, and preserve Syria’s sovereignty, territorial integrity and unity.

It concluded by renewing Syria’s call for an “immediate and unconditioned withdrawal of the US occupation forces and their allies from the Syrian territories.”

73 US trucks loaded with military, logistic equipment in Syria’s Hasakah: SANA

The US has brought 73 trucks loaded with military and logistic reinforcements to Syria’s oil-rich province of Hasakah, a report says.

Despite former US president Donald Trump’s claims that the US kept some forces in Syria’s northeast to “secure the oil,” he has also declared his own interest in benefiting from the oil US troops were allegedly defending.   

Back in November 2019, Trump said he expected the United States to benefit by millions of dollars per month from Syria's oil revenues while US troops remain in the country.

“We're keeping the oil, remember that. We want to keep the oil. Forty-five million dollars a month,” he said at the time.

The Syrian government of President Bashar al-Assad has on numerous occasions condemned the US for stealing the country’s oil in collaboration with Washington-backed militants, including the so-called Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), stressing the need for the pullout of American occupation forces.

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