Islam Times - Russia: US Bid to Hold Oil Fields in Northern Syria ‘Illegitimate’

Islam Times - The Russian Foreign Ministry stressed on Tuesday that the US decision to establish military bases in the country to “secure” the Syrian oil fields is illegitimate, as doing so violates international law.

“Any actions that aim to bolster the illegal military presence of the United States [in Syria] go against the international law and are unacceptable from our point of view”, Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Vershinin told reporters.

President Donald Trump stressed last month that the American military will retain control of Syria’s oil, adding that some US troops will be withdrawn, as US allies will secure the Syrian border.

American troops pulled back from several areas as Ankara launched its so-called Operation Peace Spring on 9 October, commencing an offensive against US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).

Kurdish forces had to withdraw from the Syria-Turkey border, later arranging a deal with the Syrian government, which subsequently bolstered its forces in the northern part of the country.