BY: Pooya Mirzaei
PEJOURNAL – The United States has entered a new phase of its military operations in the east of the Euphrates by strengthening its military presence in northeastern Syria and building a second military base in the Al-Malikiyah (Derek) area on the outskirts of Hasakah.
Less than a month ago, the United States built a new military base near the Tal Alu area in Al-Ya’rubiyah.
The Syrian government has reacted to the move, saying the United States’ goal is to continue looting Syrian wealth and securing routes used to steal oil extracted from Syria.
Meanwhile, the Pentagon announced on February 9 that its forces no longer have any responsibility for the oil in this part of Syria, and that their only mission in the region would be limited to fighting the ISIS terrorist group!
Meanwhile, the Syrian Kurdish Democratic Forces (SDF), which is making the most of the base to prevent Turkey from advancing and to ensure access to oil wells, have remained silent.
On the other hand; Information obtained from the outskirts of Hasakah indicates an increase in American activity in the area and the digging and construction of several barriers in the “Ain Diwar” area, which is more like a base at a strategic point.
Some experts believe that the construction of the military base is an attempt to compensate for the previous mistake of the United States in leaving the region in 2019, because the east of the Euphrates is a strategic point that is important in terms of location, area, wealth and proximity to Iraq and Turkey.
The United States currently has two bases in the region and is working to build a third, which means nothing more than the US returning to the Syrian case and resuming support for its allies in the country.
The point is that; The expansion of the US presence in the region is a sign of the futility of the Pentagon’s official statements about not supporting oil wells in the region, especially since on July 30, 2020 when the United States signed a contract with Delta Crescent Energy to extract oil from the region and it was also approved by Congress.
On the other hand; Regardless of Biden’s good relations with the Syrian Kurds, oil revenues have historically been the main source of US-backed Kurdish forces and they own the most important Syrian oil well, the Al-Omar oil field, which is the largest oil field in Syria.
Accordingly, the US presence in the region appears to have two main aspects: first, US dominance on the road connecting Iraq to Beirut with the possibility of closing Tehran to Beirut, and second, control of the region’s natural resources, which the United States has previously made a strategic mistake to leave them and now wants to reduce Russia’s influence and weaken Turkey.