Standoff: U.S. troops block Russian forces from capturing Syrian oil field

https://www.washingtontimes.com ^ | January 21, 2020 | Ben Wolfgang

[Enterprise]

U.S. troops last weekend reportedly found themselves in a standoff with Russian forces trying to gain access to key oil fields in northeastern Syria.

The Saturday standoff — first reported by Turkish media outlets, citing unnamed local officials in the Turkey-Syria border region — seems to have ended without any shots being fired or any real risk of violence between the two sides. American military personnel reportedly stopped a Russian convoy near the town of Rmelan, and the Russian forces then apparently turned back and returned to their home base.

Still, the near-clash serves as a reminder of the high stakes in Syria, where the U.S. military’s mission involves guarding oil fields and preventing them from falling into the hands of the Islamic State, Russian forces and other actors.

[Romans Nine]

Thank you for that link.

[silverleaf]

Too much here to even address

Do more reading about the actual situation and life in Syria

[Zhang Fei]

[Too much here to even address

Do more reading about the actual situation and life in Syria]

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I’ve been reading up on Syria going on 40 years. Nothing new under the sun.

[Afterguard]

Yeah, that was epic. During a four hour firefight between an estimated 500 Russian mercenaries and Syrian troops, and about 40 US troops, reportedly between 300 and 400 of the Russian/Syrians were killed. (February 2018)

[lewislynn]

It’s nice that you have a place to express them, BUT, No one, including the President, really cares about your opinions on this.

[Wuli]

By holding the northeastern Syria oil area, the U.S. keeps some leverage in any final settlements about Syria.

[DoodleDawg]

Who is getting the revenue from the oil fields that we are occupying, and why? Unless we are putting that revenue in trust, the ones receiving that revenue are the ones we are supporting.

Apparently the oil fields are barely functioning and generate only a few thousand barrels a day. Prior to tossing them under the bus I believe the Kurds occupied the fields and they got what little money that came from them.

[riverdawg]

“The Russians now have brought in their advanced jammers so the tactic used before will not work a second time. All communications and GPS will be jammed. Last time it was Russian mercs, this time it is real Russian soldiers. Not the same.”

I read that our MRAPs blocked a road being used by Russian APCs, and the Russians wanted no part of a one-sided confrontation with us.

[McGruff]

Remember the border?

[Zhang Fei]

[Apparently the oil fields are barely functioning and generate only a few thousand barrels a day. Prior to tossing them under the bus I believe the Kurds occupied the fields and they got what little money that came from them.]

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Trump estimates the number at $45m per month. Not a substitute for a functioning economy, but until a durable peace involving Kurdish autonomy is found, and a peacetime economy resurrected, it’s the only game in town for the Kurds. The Russkies are getting involved because they’d like to scale back their aid to Assad. We want to help the Kurds keep it, because it helps us minimize our aid to them.

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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petroleum_industry_in_Syria#Oil_production_during_the_Syrian_Civil_War

[DoodleDawg]

Not a substitute for a functioning economy, but until a durable peace involving Kurdish autonomy is found, and a peacetime economy resurrected, it’s the only game in town for the Kurds.

We fed the Kurds to the Turks last year. Any chance of Kurdish autonomy died with that.

[mac_truck]

We need to get out of Syria.

But, but, but...who else will protect the Syrian oil fields from ISIS?

[Zhang Fei]

[We fed the Kurds to the Turks last year. Any chance of Kurdish autonomy died with that. ]

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Not entirely. We gave them a few pieces of Syrian Kurdistan. But we’re still there, and the Turks have studiously avoided infringing on the piece we still occupy, despite a lot of initial bluster. I have no idea what is going on at Incirlik, but I suspect the Turks have gotten some private briefings on what will happen to them if they push any further into Syrian Kurdistan. With Trump, you never know. And that’s keeping Erdogan in check. You can bet he never thought Soleimani would be dead today, or that Trump would plant hundreds of Russian mercs. Trump could cave - or he could whack hundreds of Turks. The latter action could get another Turkish coup going.

[Zhang Fei]

[But, but, but...who else will protect the Syrian oil fields from ISIS? ]

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Lying for raison d’etat isn’t exactly a novel act. The Russians are certainly no angels in that respect. Point is we want our Kurdish client to be self-funding to the extent possible. The oil fields help a great deal. That the Russians want their Alawite client to pay back their loans using those oil proceeds is understandable, but not our problem.

[DesertRhino]

The Sunnis want a sunni government in Syria. Our Sunni government in DC and the CIA also want this.
A Sunni government would be like everywhere else they rule, a theocratic hellhole.

Under Assad and the Alawites you can be a Christian, any type of moslem, and even a Jew etc. There are still one or two Synagogues in Syria of Jews who did not move to Israel back in the 40s.
You can be a woman, with a job and a car. She can drive to Latakia beach, bance to music, drink Syrian made wines, and marry as she pleases.

By any measure Assad was the most liberal leader in the Middle east. So when our Saudi and Gulf States “Allies” ordered us to do so, we launched the rebel movement that became ISIS. we were trying to install a Sunni theocracy and our proxies got out of hand.

We aren’t the good guys in Syria.

[DesertRhino]

And every person we killed was trying to go after Syrian rebels and retake government territory. We did the work of the Sunni enemy.

[SauronOfMordor]

The Russians now have brought in their advanced jammers so the tactic used before will not work a second time. All communications and GPS will be jammed.

Losing contact with one of your units due to jamming is likely to cause a commander to send an aircraft to investigate.

And we have missiles with "home on jammer" guidance option. The Russian are used to Presidents who were not willing to fire upon Russian units, just to make a point. They may wish to re-evaluate their assumptions.

[Zhang Fei]

[By any measure Assad was the most liberal leader in the Middle east. So when our Saudi and Gulf States “Allies” ordered us to do so, we launched the rebel movement that became ISIS. we were trying to install a Sunni theocracy and our proxies got out of hand.

We aren’t the good guys in Syria.]

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Assad should have thought about this outcome when he financed, trained and equipped his Sunni Arabs to go after GI’s in Syria. Even if we did help out the rebels in Syria, we were only returning the favor. As to who the good guys are, if you’re going to point to the Alawites, who financed and harbored Palestinian terrorists who killed Americans, had a role in the deaths of 200 Marines in Lebanon and helped kill thousands of GI’s in Iraq with a flood of Syrian Sunni Arab insurgents, you like Alawites more than you like Americans.

[Zhang Fei]

I think of it as poetic justice that the very Sunni Arabs Assad sicced onto Uncle Sam in Iraq are now doing their level best to bash his head in.

[Trumpisourlastchance]

Israel said we stay. That’s it.