BALADI NEWS
Russia's Defense Ministry has criticized the US decision to send armored vehicles and combat troops into eastern Syria to protect oil fields, calling it "banditry."
In a statement, Russia’s defense ministry said Washington had no mandate under international or U.S. law to increase its military presence in Syria and said its plan was not motivated by genuine security concerns in the region.
“Therefore Washington’s current actions - capturing and maintaining military control over oil fields in eastern Syria - is, simply put, international state banditry,” it said.
U.S. troops and private security companies in eastern Syria are protecting oil smugglers who make more than $30 million a month, the statement said.
US Defense Secretary Mark Esper has said the move is aimed at keeping the fields from potentially falling into the hands of the Islamic State organization (ISIS).
The decision was the latest sign that extracting the US military from Syria is more uncertain and complicated than President Donald Trump has made it out to be.
On Saturday, there were several troop movements in Syria as the various players adjusted to the US decision to withdraw troops from the northeast.
Source: Reuters and Al Jazeera.