Russian Forces Take Over Two Oil, Gas Fields in Northeast Syria

An oil field in Syria (Archive photo)
An oil field in Syria (Archive photo)
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Russian Forces Take Over Two Oil, Gas Fields in Northeast Syria

An oil field in Syria (Archive photo)
An oil field in Syria (Archive photo)

Russian forces on Saturday took control over the al-Thawra oil facility, located in southwest Raqqa governorate in northeastern Syria, after the Iran-aligned Liwa Fatemiyoun militia having withdrawn from the site.

This follows Russian forces imposing their control of the Toueinane gas field in Raqqa’s countryside on Friday.

Russian military reinforcements alongside units from the Russian-backed Fifth Armored Division arrived on Saturday at al-Thawra oil facility which produces around 2,000 bpd, media sources based in Syria’s Euphrates region reported.

The oil facility used to produce around 6,000 bpd before 2010.

As for the Touneinane gas field, which was controlled by Iranian proxies and operated by HESCO, it produces about 3 million cubic meters of natural gas per day, 60 tons of domestic gas, and two thousand barrels of gas condensate.

Nine Russian military vehicles and four troop carriers transporting members of the Fifth Armored Division rolled into al-Thawra oil facility after Iran-aligned Fatemiyoun militia withdrew from the site as part of understandings reached with Russian forces, reported Eye of Euphrates, a local Syrian opposition media outlet.

Similarly, Eye of Euphrates correspondents reported on seven Russian military vehicles and three troop carriers transporting members of the Fifth Armored Division arriving at the Touneinane gas field on Friday.

It was not clear if Fatemiyoun militants had given up their presence at the gas field also as part of agreements with Russian forces around dividing control over strategic spots in northeast Syria.

Governorates like Deir Ezzor and Hasakah, which are situated near the war-torn country’s borders with Iraq and Turkey, include some of the most vital oil and gas fields in Syria.

It is worth noting that US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) control most of those fields. Hasakah’s Rmeilan oil field, which includes over 1,322 oil wells and 25 natural gas wells, is run by the SDF.



Syria Arrests Assad-era Officer Accused of 'War Crimes'

Sultan al-Tinawi. (Syrian Interior Ministry)
Sultan al-Tinawi. (Syrian Interior Ministry)
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Syria Arrests Assad-era Officer Accused of 'War Crimes'

Sultan al-Tinawi. (Syrian Interior Ministry)
Sultan al-Tinawi. (Syrian Interior Ministry)

Syrian authorities said Tuesday they had arrested a former officer in the feared security apparatus of ousted ruler Bashar al-Assad, the latest such announcement as the new government pursues ex-officials accused of atrocities.

The interior ministry announced in a statement that security forces in the coastal province of Latakia had arrested the "criminal brigadier-general Sultan al-Tinawi", saying he was a key officer in the air force intelligence, one of the Assad family's most trusted security agencies.

The statement accused Tinawi of involvement in "committing war crimes against civilians, including a massacre" in the Damascus countryside in 2016.

It said he was responsible for "coordinating between the leadership of the Lebanese Hezbollah militia and a number of sectarian groups in Syria".

Tinawi has been referred to the public prosecution for further investigation, the statement said.

A security source, requesting anonymity as they were not authorized to speak to the media, said that Tinawi held senior administrative positions in the air force intelligence when Jamil Hassan was head of the notorious agency.

Hassan has been sentenced in absentia in France for complicity in crimes against humanity and war crimes, while the United States has accused him of "war crimes", including overseeing barrel bomb attacks on Syrian people that killed thousands of civilians.

Tinawi had been "head of the information branch of the air force intelligence" before Assad's ouster late last year, the security source told AFP, describing the branch as "one of the most powerful and secret security agencies in the country".

Since taking power in December, Syria's new authorities have announced a number of arrests of Assad-era security officials.

Assad fled to Moscow with only a handful of confidants, abandoning senior officials and security officers, some of whom have reportedly fled to neighboring countries or taken refuge in the coastal heartland of Assad's Alawite minority community.