Syria: US military base in oil rich Deir Ez-Zor attacked, no casualties reported

A US military base in Deir Ez-Zor Province in Northeastern Syria was subected to a rocket attack, the latest in the series of strikes which Washington has previously termed as “calculated and deliberate”. The attack occurred near the Omar Oil field and was reported by Saudi daily Al-Watan. Right after the attack, ‘plumes of smoke' coming out of the base were reported. Interestingly, the attack came hours after the Syrian Prime Minister Hussein Arnous, along with a government delegation paid a surprise visit to the Deir Ez-Zor governorate. 

Despite the Syrian Armed Forces recapturing most of the territories, the US wields control over the north and northeast region. Notably, the aforementioned territories-most of which border Turkey- are rich in oil and natural gas. About the same, Damascus has repeatedly called the presence of American troops in Deir Ez-Zor, Al-Hasakah and Raqqa “state piracy” to exploit its natural resources. 

Who supports the US in Syria?

American troops continue to operate in the region in alliance with Kurdish rebels. Experts had long termed the US-Kurdish partnership a “ticking time bomb" which finally went off in 2019 following a withdrawal order issued by former US President Donald Trump. It led to a swift Turkish offensive. Meanwhile, Syrians and Kurds are in conflict largely due to the latter's demand for an independent state. Earlier in October, Syrian Foreign minister Faisal Mekdad had asked the US to pull out all its troops from the region asserting that Syrian troops would eventually go there and oust them. 

What is happening in Syria?

While the Syrian civil war ended in 2019, the northwestern part of the country which includes the Governorate of Idlib and parts of Aleppo, Hama and Latakia- continue to remain under rebels. The Syrian civil war commenced in 2011 after the country's president Bashar Hafez Al-Assad tried to suppress opposition to his authoritarian rule. While armed fighting has now ended, the government and militias continue to engage in a war of nerves and occasional assaults. With the coronavirus contagion wreaking havoc, the Syrian economy has plunged manifold, with roughly 80 per cent of the population living under the poverty line. The pandemic has posed a challenging situation for countries all across the globe; however, for Syria, it has been a significant challenge with its economy and health care sector crippling due to the decade-long war-like situation.

(File Image: ABNA)