In a major blow to Assad’s regime US-allied forces capture the major oil deposit in Syria
SDF (Syrian Democratic Forces) forces supported by the US have taken under their control the al-Omar oil field in the east of Syria.
It is reported that the SDF units supported by the US-led coalition air strikes drove the Islamic State militants out of the oil field. The oil deposit was the main source of income for ISIS. The al-Omar oil field is located on the eastern shore of the Euphrates, near the border with Iraq.
On October 14, the Syrian government army with the support of the Russian aircraft and Shiite Iranian militias stormed the town of Mayadin, situated close to al-Omar deposit. This city, after the encirclement of Raqqa, was briefly the actual capital of ISIS in Syria.
This claim by the Syrian Democratic Forces comes just a week after the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) reached the al-Omar oil field but failed to capture it due to fierce fight put up by ISIS.
The Syrian government forces then stopped 10 kilometers from the oil field.
Reuters reports that there are currently exchanges of fire between the SDF units and Syrian government forces.
The capture of the al-Omar oil field will be a major economic blow to the Syrian government due to a significant oil output produced by this deposit.