Syrian rebels seize Deir ez‑Zor, eye control of key oil fields
Rebels from HTS, the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham led by Abu Muhammad al-Jawlani, and the Syrian National Army are occupying more territories. Forces loyal to Assad's regime are retreating. The oil fields in Deir ez-Zor are strategic areas for the country's economy.
Groups fighting against President Bashar al-Assad's regime forces are taking over more cities in Syria. The collapse of the regime and the leader's escape to Russia have allowed them to take control without a fight in many places.
According to the Syrian newspaper Al-Watan, the latest city captured by the rebel army is Deir ez-Zor in the northeastern part of the country.
The new authorities, who conquered the capital of Syria—Damascus, on Sunday, assured all ethnic and religious groups in Syria of the safety of their property and places of worship. As Al-Jazeera emphasizes, this concerns Christians, Druze, and Kurds.
A video from Deir ez-Zor was published on social media, showing columns of armed people approaching the administrative centre of Deir ez-Zor province without encountering resistance.
"After liberating the eastern and western outskirts of Deir ez-Zor, and the retreat of regime forces and Iranian militants, we announce that the city of Deir ez-Zor and its airport are completely liberated," informed Lieutenant Colonel Hassan Abdel Ghani, as quoted by the Tass agency.
Deir ez-Zor is also a strategic area due to its rich oil deposits. It is a key region for the Syrian energy industry. A significant portion of production came from here before the devastating conflict in the country (ongoing since 2011).
A large part of the infrastructure has been damaged. In 2014, as a result of airstrikes on areas then controlled by the Islamic State, 12 refineries in the Deir ez-Zor province were destroyed.
As reported by money.pl, the oil fields became a valuable spoil for various armed groups, including the so-called Islamic State Daesh. Some of the production was used for their own needs, while some went to the black market and served to finance the organization. At the peak of their activity, Islamists controlled most of the oil fields in eastern Syria, producing between 5,400 and 6,400 cubic metres per day.
