U.S. forces transfer "stolen" Syrian oil to bases in Iraq: media

DAMASCUS, Jan. 6 (Xinhua) -- A convoy of 56 tanks loaded with "stolen" oil departed illegally from Syria for U.S. bases in Iraq on Saturday, reported Syria's state news agency SANA.

The convoy crossed through the illegal Al-Mahmudiyah crossing in Syria's northeastern province of Hasakah toward U.S. bases in Iraqi territory, said SANA, citing the locals living near the Syrian-Iraqi border.

It added that in the morning, another 34-vehicle convoy consisting of covered trucks, refrigerated trucks, and large carriers, reportedly left U.S. bases in northern Syria's Jazira via the unauthorized al-Walid crossing for U.S. bases in northern Iraq, not specifying what the convoy carried.

The Syrian government has repeatedly accused the U.S. forces of "pillaging Syrian resources," a move that further exacerbates the economic hardships facing the war-torn country.

Farhan Jamil Abdullah, head of the government-run Syrian Oil Company, said in July last year that as a result of the U.S. sanctions and military presence in Syria, oil production by his company had decreased from the previous 385,000 barrels per day to 15,000 barrels, while gas production had plunged from 30 million cubic meters per day to 10 million cubic meters.

The government has lost control of most of the energy fields due to the U.S. presence in oil-rich areas in Syria's northern and eastern parts, Abdullah added.

Syrian Oil Minister Firas Hassan Kaddour said last July that the U.S. presence in the country had led to economic losses of about 100 billion U.S. dollars in its energy sector.