Page 8 - MEOG Week 10 2021
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MEOG                                   PIPELINES & TRANSPORT                                           MEOG




















       Syrian oil facilities in the



       crosshairs as attacks continue





        SYRIA            OIL facilities across Syria continue to be the  Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which loyal to
                         target of strikes from the numerous factions  the Syrian Salvation Government in Idlib City.
                         involved in the country’s long-running civil  Prices for these cargoes are influenced by move-
                         conflict.                            ments in the dollar/Turkish lira exchange rate.
                           An attack was carried out on makeshift refin-  Meanwhile, sources said that there are two
                         eries at the towns of al-Bab and Jarabulus in  companies competing to supply Idlib, both from
                         the northern Aleppo Province, though there is  Turkey and from SDF-held areas.
                         uncertainty about the identity of the aggressor   Watad Petrol, which is owned by HTS, and
                         and the number of victims.           Imdad, owned by the Turkey-aligned Free Syr-
                           The  UK-based  Syrian  Observatory  for  ian Army (FSA) in the surrounding country-
                         Human Rights said that the attacks had been  side. Prices for these cargoes are influenced by
                         launched from Russian warships and Syrian  the profiteering of the traders and smugglers
                         government forces, killing four and injuring 24  involved.
                         others. The report said that fires had spread to   The SDF has been accused of planting explo-
                         around 180 oil tankers, noting that the fires were  sives on roads around Raqqa and Hasakah in
                         the “largest yet from a missile attack on make-  eastern Syria that connect its territory with Tur-
                         shift refineries”.                   key and with the areas held by the FSA.
                           It added that unidentified drones had also hit   Al-Monitor quoted an FSA official as say-
                         oil refineries in Turkish-held areas of Aleppo in  ing: “Oil coming from the SDF-controlled areas
                         January, causing a large fire.       enters through two points. At Tufaha, south of
                           Meanwhile, Reuters quoted a source within  Suluk, under the control of Ahrar al-Sharqiya
                         the Turkish-backed National Army who said  faction, and at al-Rihaniya, south of Ras al-Ain
                         that the death toll was one, with at least another  held by the Hamza Division.”
                         11 injured, while Turkish state-media outlet   He added that given the importance of oil
                         Anadolu Agency quoted a witness as saying that  revenues to the SDF, it “does not want oil supplies
                         18 people had been injured. It added that it could  to exit its areas without its knowledge”.
                         not confirm the source of the attack.  In late February, two men were killed when
                                                              the diesel truck they were driving hit a landmine
                         Booby traps                          near a smuggling point on the Aleppo-Hasakah
                         Also last week, Washington-based Al-Monitor  highway north-east of Raqqa.
                         quoted various sources within Syria as saying   Meanwhile, Hassan al-Layli, military com-
                         that the Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces  mander of the FSA-affiliated Sultan al-Murad
                         (SDF) have taken to routinely booby-trapping  Division, was quoted as saying that “lorries could
                         fuel trucks and smuggling route roads as it seeks  have been also booby-trapped to be detonated in
                         to control the oil fuel flows that are its key source  the opposition areas, but blew up before they got
                         of income.                           to their destination. Both possibilities are valid,
                           The report said that the area under control of  and we can’t be sure of what happened exactly, as
                         the Syrian opposition in the north of the coun-  all vehicles were blown up before reaching their
                         try is facing fuel shortages as smugglers seek to  destination to the areas under our control.” The
                         profit from large variances in oil prices and the  SDF refused to comment.
                         SDF looks to exert its control over flows.  Separately, in late February, an attack was
                           It said that gas, gasoline and diesel are  carried out on the al-Jabsa-al-Rayyan pipeline
                         imported to opposition-held territory in Idlib  in the Abu Khashab area of Deir Ezzor Province,
                         Province from Turkey across the Bab al-Hawa  which is home to much of the country’s oil and
                         crossing under the control of the jihadist militia  gas reserves.™



       P8                                       www. NEWSBASE .com                         Week 10   10•March•2021
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