Russia accuses the United States of “international banditry” in protecting oil fields in Syria. The statement comes after Washington announced its intention to protect the oil fields, which are controlled by Kurdish forces.
US Secretary of Defense Mark Esper said earlier that US troops are strengthening their positions, including in Deir Ezzor near the Iraqi border, where the country’s largest oil fields are.
Their mission is to prevent the Islamic State terror group from gaining access to oil fields and “securing resources to hit the region, attack Europe and hit the United States,” Esper told reporters during a visit to Brussels. There are currently about two hundred American soldiers stationed.
“What Washington is currently doing, seizing and controlling Eastern Syria oil fields, is simply international banditry,” the Russian Defense Ministry states in a statement.