Damascus, Syria. Syrian troops fighting U.S.-backed Kurdish-led forces seized the Omar oil field and the Conoco gas field in Deir Zor province as allied Arab tribal forces advanced in the oil-rich area along the border with Iraq, officials and security sources said.
Seizure of key energy sites
Officials and security sources said the takeover involved oil fields east of the Euphrates River, described as a main source of revenue for the Kurdish-led forces. Officials said the seizure was a major blow to the group and said it had deprived the state of resources used by the militia.
Army advances in northeast Syria
The Syrian army continued its advance into predominantly Arab-populated areas of northeast Syria controlled by the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), despite U.S. calls to halt its advance.
A government source said Kurdish-led forces were overcome after advances led by Arab tribal fighters, enabling the government and its tribal allies to move into more than 150 km of territory along the eastern bank of the Euphrates, from Baghouz near the Iraqi border toward towns including al-Shuhail and Busayra.
Control of Tabqa and dams near Raqqa
Late on Saturday, the army also took control of the northern city of Tabqa and its adjacent dam, as well as the major Freedom Dam, formerly known as the Baath Dam, west of Raqqa.
Syrian Kurdish authorities have not acknowledged the loss of those sites, and it remained unclear whether fighting was still ongoing.
How do you think the seizure of these oil and gas fields could affect the balance of power in northeast Syria?