U.S.-backed militias said they captured Syria’s largest oil field Oct. 22, pressing their assault against Islamic State.
The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) said it took al-Omar Field on the eastern bank of the Euphrates River in the early hours. “Our forces managed to liberate the fields without notable damages,” said Lilwa al-Abdallah, spokeswoman for the offensive in Deir al-Zor province.
The jihadists holed up in buildings in a nearby district, where the SDF was trying to hunt them down, she said.
With U.S.-led jets and special forces, the SDF has been battling in Deir al-Zor bordering Iraq. The alliance of Kurdish and Arab militias has focused on territory east of the river, which bisects the oil-rich province.
The Syrian army, with Russian air power and Iran-backed militias, has been waging its own separate offensive against Islamic State, mostly to the west of the river.
The U.S.-led coalition and the Russian military have been holding de-confliction meetings—to prevent clashes between planes and troops—though the two offensives have sometimes come into conflict.
Islamic State has lost vast territory across Syria and has now come under attack in its last footholds in a strip of the Euphrates valley and the desert in Deir al-Zor.
The SDF declared victory over the jihadists in their former headquarters in Raqqa city this week. SDF fighters would now move to the frontlines in Deir al-Zor, speeding up the battle in eastern Syria.
Last month, the Kurdish-led militias captured a major natural gas field upstream of the Oct. 22 advance.
Al-Omar oil field lies some 10 km (6.21 miles) north of the town of al-Mayadin, which government troops and their allies took earlier this month. The town had turned into a major base for Islamic State militants after the U.S.-backed offensive drove them out of Raqqa.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Islamic State fighters who had withdrawn from the oil field mounted a counter-attack overnight against government forces. The militants made some gains around al-Mayadin, the Britain-based monitor said.
But a Syrian military source denied this, saying there was no significant attack and fighting raged on at the same pace.
Any attack by the Islamic State militants there was a “desperate attempt,” the source said. “The Syrian Arab Army is attacking, hitting Daesh positions...and advancing,” the source said, using the Arabic acronym for Islamic State.
Recommended Reading
Ithaca Energy to Buy Eni's UK Assets in $938MM North Sea Deal
2024-04-23 - Eni, one of Italy's biggest energy companies, will transfer its U.K. business in exchange for 38.5% of Ithaca's share capital, while the existing Ithaca Energy shareholders will own the remaining 61.5% of the combined group.
EIG’s MidOcean Closes Purchase of 20% Stake in Peru LNG
2024-04-23 - MidOcean Energy’s deal for SK Earthon’s Peru LNG follows a March deal to purchase Tokyo Gas’ LNG interests in Australia.
TotalEnergies to Acquire Remaining 50% of SapuraOMV
2024-04-22 - TotalEnergies is acquiring the remaining 50% interest of upstream gas operator SapuraOMV, bringing the French company's tab to more than $1.4 billion.
TotalEnergies Cements Oman Partnership with Marsa LNG Project
2024-04-22 - Marsa LNG is expected to start production by first quarter 2028 with TotalEnergies holding 80% interest in the project and Oman National Oil Co. holding 20%.
Is Double Eagle IV the Most Coveted PE-backed Permian E&P Left?
2024-04-22 - Double Eagle IV is quietly adding leases and drilling new oil wells in core parts of the Midland Basin. After a historic run of corporate consolidation, is it the most attractive private equity-backed E&P still standing in the Permian Basin?