WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 25th October, 2019) The US Department of Defense is working on a plan to prevent the resurgence of the Islamic State terror group (outlawed in Russia) and Iran from using the oil fields in northeast Syria, US Senator Lindsey Graham said on Thursday after meeting with US President Donald Trump and Join Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Mark Milley.
"There's a plan coming together from the Joint Chiefs that I think may work, that may give us what we need to prevent ISIS [Islamic State] from coming back, Iran taking the oil, ISIS taking the oil," Graham said. "I am somewhat encouraged that a plan is coming about that will meet our core objectives in Syria."
Earlier on Thursday, Trump said the United States will never let the Islamic State take control of oil fields in northeast Syria.
In a statement on Wednesday, Graham backed the idea of protecting oil fields from the Islamic State including the Iranian and Syrian governments. Graham also suggested increasing production of the oil fields to benefit the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces and to possibly partly compensate the United States for its military assistance in Syria.
Trump has said a residual force of US troops will remain in northeast Syria to protect the oil fields.
