The Oil Stills of Al Mansura near Al Raqqah Photo: David Rose
On July 10, RusVesna.SU shared new photos exposing the illegal oil trade between Kurdish forces and Turkish-backed militants in Syria.
The photos, which were likely taken by Russian reconnaissance, show a meeting point on the M4 highway, where Kurdish forces handed over oil illegally produced from northeastern Syria fields to Turkish-backed militants.
The oil is shipped from the Kurdish-held town of Manbij in the northeastern Aleppo countryside to Turkish-occupied areas in the governorate’s northern countryside through the Abu Julud crossing. 20 to 50 tanker are passing through the crossing every day.
From there, the stolen oil is distributed to two illegal markets run by Turkish-backed militants near the towns of Tarhin and Qabasin.
Click to see full-size image.
Click to see full-size image.
Click to see full-size image.
Click to see full-size image.
Turkey and its proxies call Kurdish forces in Syria, represented by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), “terrorist groups”. Yet, they have no problem buying looted oil from them. The SDF, from its side, relies on the “blood money” it receives from Turkish forces.
Earlier this year, a series of missile strikes targeted illegal oil markets in Turkish-occupied areas. The strikes were reportedly carried out by Russian and Syrian government forces.
RusVesna’s report highlights the secret cooperation between Kurdish forces and Turkish-backed militants, who claim to be enemies.
