Syrian army soldiers enter Rumailan oilfield in Hasakah after years: Reports

Syrian government forces have reportedly entered an oilfield in the country’s northeastern province of Hasakah, as they continue to deploy in areas close to the border with Turkey in the face of a cross-border incursion by Turkish army troops and their allied militants against militants from the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG).

Several media outlets reported on Tuesday that Syrian army troops had gone into the Rumailan oilfield, located near the village of Mulla Abbas, “for the first time in years.”

The pro-government and Arabic-language daily al-Watan reported that Rumailan had remained outside state control for seven years.

The report comes as Washington has reversed an earlier decision to pull out all troops from northeastern Syria, announcing last week the deployment of about 500 troops to the oilfields controlled by Kurdish forces.

Pentagon chief Mark Esper said the deployment will seek to secure oil resources from Daesh. Washington, he said, will use “overwhelming” force against any other actor challenging the US, including Syria’s own government.

Speaking last week, President Donald Trump suggested that Washington sought economic interests by controlling the oilfields.

PressTV-Russia: US smuggling Syrian oil worth $30 million a month

Russia has slammed the US plan to seize Syrian oil fields as “criminal activity,” warning that Washington stands to rake in millions of dollars a month from the seizure.

The developments come as Damascus is in great need of its major oil deposits in order to gain revenue and address its energy needs amid crippling Western sanctions.

Syria is currently extracting oil at only 10 percent of its pre-war capacity.

Syria, along with Iran and Turkey, have already denounced Washington’s illegal appropriation of Syrian oil.

Syrian army units start deployment to border areas in Qamishli

Meanwhile, units of Syrian army soldiers on Tuesday started to deploy to areas in the eastern countryside of the northeastern city of Qamishli to defend the territories against a possible Turkish aggression.

Syria’s official news agency reported that Syrian government forces passed through the towns of al-Qahtaniyah and al-Jawadiyah over a distance of more than 120 kilometers (74.5 miles) and started to establish posts once they reached the designated areas.

Separately, Turkish military forces have begun to bring military reinforcements to al-Souda village in the countryside of the strategic border town of Ra’s al-Ayn.

On October 22, Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan signed a memorandum of understanding that asserted YPG militants must withdraw from the Turkish-controlled "safe zone" in northeastern Syria within 150 hours, after which Ankara and Moscow will run joint patrols around the area.

PressTV-Russia, Turkey strike deal on north Syria safe zone

Russia and Turkey have agreed to remove Kurdish militants from border areas in northern Syria and launch joint patrols there.

The announcement was made hours before a US-brokered five-day truce between Turkish and Kurdish-led forces was due to expire.

On October 9, Turkish military forces and Ankara-backed militants launched a long-threatened cross-border invasion of northeastern Syria in a declared attempt to push YPG militants from border areas.

PressTV-Turkey starts war against Kurds in northeastern Syria

Turkish military and allied forces have launched a cross-border offensive against Kurdish YPG militants in northeastern Syria.

Ankara views the US-backed YPG as a terrorist organization tied to the homegrown Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which has been seeking an autonomous Kurdish region in Turkey since 1984. The YPG constitutes the backbone of the Kurdish-dominated so-called Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).

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