WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 29th October, 2019) The United States will deny Russian and Syrian forces access to oil fields it is protecting in northeast Syria, US Secretary of Defense Mark Esper said during a briefing at the Pentagon on Monday.
"Short answer is yes, it presently does, because in that case we want to make sure SDF [Syrian Democratic Forces] does have access to the resources in order to guard the prisons, in order to arm their own troops, in order to assist us with the defeat ISIS [Islamic State terrorist group, outlawed in Russia] mission," Esper said when asked if US forces will deny Russian and Syrian forces access to the oil fields.
Esper pointed out that the US forces in Syria will continue to counter Islamic State operations with its partners and further maintain its existing mission to protect oil fields there from the terrorist group.
On Friday, Esper said that the United States intended to take measures in the near future to strengthen its position in Deir ez-Zor to prevent terrorists from accessing the oil fields.
According to the US defense secretary, the United States is studying how to move forces in the region so as to ensure the safety of the oil fields.
On Wednesday, Iraqi Defense Minister Najah Shammari said the US forces, which the United States withdrew from northern Syria earlier, would remain in Iraq no longer than four weeks.
On Thursday, US President Donald Trump proposed letting the Kurdish units control some oil-rich regions in northeastern Syria.
Russian officials have said the United States is involved in state banditry by utilizing Syrian oil. Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said on Saturday that the United States is part of smuggling oil operations in northeastern Syria.
