While Trump Berates Portland Looters, the US Gov't Continues to Plunder
Syria with Impunity
President Trump has lashed out at rioters and looters in Portland and
Kenosha, yet halfway around the world, the US military is busy plundering
what's left of Syria's wealth on a vastly greater scale and with little
publicity.
by Rick Sterling
September 15th, 2020
By Rick Sterling
The United States and Turkey has been plundering Syrian infrastructure for
years. Beginning in late 2012 and continuing through 2013, some 300
industrial factories were dismantled and taken to Turkey from Aleppo, the
industrial capital of Syria. "Machinery and goods were loaded on trucks and
carried off to Turkey through the Cilvegozu and Ceylanpinar crossings.
Unfortunately, 'plundering' and 'terror' have become permanent parts of the
Syrian lexicon when explaining their saga."
In October 2019, Turkish forces invaded Syria and now occupy a strip of land
in the northeast. The area is controlled by the Turkish military and
pro-Turkish militia forces misnamed the "Syrian National Army." Turkish
President Erdogan dubbed the invasion "Peace Spring" and said the goal was
to create a "safe zone." The reality was that 200,00 Syrians fled the
invasion and over 100,000 have been permanently displaced from their homes,
farms, workplaces, and livelihoods.
The industrial-scale looting continues. As reported recently in a story
headlined "Turkish-backed factions take apart power pylons in rural Ras
Al-Ain": "Reliable sources have informed SOHR that Turkish-backed factions
steal electricity power towers and pylons in 'Peace Spring' areas in Ras
Al-Ain countryside."
Turkey now controls the border city of Ras al-Ain and the nearby Allouk
water treatment and pumping station. This is the water station supplying
safe water to the city Hasaka and the entire region. Turkish forces are
using water as a weapon of war, shutting down the station to pressure the
population into compliance. For over two weeks in August, with daily
temperatures of 100 Fahrenheit, there was no running water for nearly one
million people.
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With no tap water, civilians were forced to queue up for hours to receive
small amounts from water trucks. Unable to buy the water, other civilians
took their chances by drinking water from unsafe wells. According to Judy
Jacoub, a Syrian journalist originally from Hasaka, "The residents of Hasaka
and its countryside have been pushed to rely on unsafe water sources. Many
residents have been suffering from the spread of fungi, germs and dirt in
their hair and bodies as a result of using well water that is not suitable
for drinking and personal hygiene. The people of Hasaka remain vulnerable to
diseases and epidemics because of the high temperatures and spread of
infectious diseases. If the situation is not controlled as soon as possible,
the spread of Corona virus will undoubtedly be devastating." A hospital
medical director says many people are getting sick from the contaminated
water.
Judy Jacoub explains what has happened most recently:"After Syrian and
international efforts exerted pressure on the Turkish regime, 17 wells and
three pumps were started . The main reservoirs were filled and pumping was
started toward the city neighborhoods. However, despite the Turkish
militia's resumption of pumping water again, there is great fear among the
citizens."
Looting Syrian Oil and Plundering the Economy
The US also has occupying troops and a proxy military force in northeast
Syria. The proxy army is misnamed the "Syrian Democratic Forces" (SDF) and
how they got that name is revealing. They took on this name as they came
under the funding and control of the US military as documented by Reuters,
US Army General Ray Thomas told their leadership, "You have got to change
your brand. What do you want to call yourselves besides the YPG?' Then, as
he explained, "With about a day's notice they declared that they are the
Syrian Democratic Forces. I thought it was a stroke of brilliance to put
democracy in there somewhere."
There are numerous parties and trends within the Syrian Kurdish community.
The US has been funding and promoting the secessionist element, pushing them
to ally with Turkish backed jihadists against the Damascus government. The
violation of Syrian sovereignty is extreme and grotesque.
Prior to the war, Syria was self-sufficient in oil and had enough to export
and earn some foreign revenue. The primary oil sources are in eastern Syria,
where US troops and proxy forces have established bases. It is desert
terrain with little population.
To finance their proxy army, the US has seized control of the major Syrian
oil pumping wells. It is likely that President Trump thinks this is a
brilliant bold move - financing the invasion of Syria with Syrian oil.
In November 2019 President Trump said, "We're keeping the oil. The oil is
secure. We left troops behind only for the oil." Recently, it was revealed
that a "Little known US firm secured a deal for Syrian oil". Delta Crescent
Energy will manage and escalate the theft of Syrian oil.
What would Americans think if another country invaded the US via Mexico, set
up bases in Texas, sponsored a secessionist militia, then seized Texas oil
wells to finance it? That is comparable to what the US is doing in Syria.
In addition to stealing Syria's oil, the US is trying to prevent Syria from
developing alternate sources. The "Caesar sanctions" on Syria threatens to
punish any individual, company, or country that invests or assists Syria to
rebuild their war-damaged country and especially in the oil and gas sector.
The US establishment seems to be doing everything it can to undermine the
Syrian economy and damage Syrian currency. Due to pressure on Lebanese
banks, in addition to the Caesar sanctions, the Syrian pound has plummeted
in value from 650 to 2,150 to the US dollar in the past 10 months alone.
Northeast Syria is the breadbasket of the country with the richest wheat and
grain fields. There are reports of US pressuring farmers not to sell wheat
to the Syrian government. One year ago, Nicholas Heras of the influential
Center for New American Security argued "Assad needs access to cereal crops
in northeast Syria to prevent a bread crisis in the areas of western Syria
that he controls. Wheat is a weapon of great power in this next phase of the
Syrian conflict." Now, it appears the US is following this strategy. Four
months ago, in May 2020, Syrian journalist Stephen Sahiounie reported that
US Apache helicopters flew low in the Shaddadi countryside south of Hasaka
ad dropped incendiary weapons, causing the wheat fields to explode into
flames while the hot dry winds fanned the raging fire, according to
residents of the Adla village.
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After delivering their fiery pay-load, the helicopters flew close to homes
in an aggressive manner, which caused residents to fear for their lives. The
military maneuver was delivering a clear message: don't sell your wheat to
the Syrian government."
To better loot the oil and plunder the Syria economy, in the past weeks the
US is sending more heavy equipment and military hardware through the Kurdish
region of Iraq.
In the south of Syria, the US has another base and occupation zone at the
strategic Al Tanf border crossing. This is at the intersection of the
borders of Syria, Iraq, and Jordan. This is also the border crossing for the
highway from Baghdad to Damascus. The US controls this border area to
prevent Syrian reconstruction projects from Iraq or Iran. When Syrian troops
have tried to get near the area, they are attacked on their own soil.
Meanwhile, international funds donated to "Syrian relief" efforts are
disproportionally sent to assist the last strong-hold of al-Qaeda in Idlib
on the northwest border with Turkey. The US and its partners evidently want
to sustain the armed opposition and prevent the Syrian government from
reclaiming its territory.
International law and the UN Charter
The US and Turkey have shown how easy it is to violate international law.
The occupation of Syrian land and attacks on its sovereignty is being done
in broad daylight. But it is not just a legal issue. Stopping the supply of
safe drinking water and burning wheat fields to create more hunger violate
the most basic tenets of decency and morality.
With supreme hypocrisy, the US foreign policy establishment often complains
about a decline in the "rule of law," yet In practice, there is no greater
violator than the US itself.
In his speech to the UN Security Council, Syrian Ambassador Ja'afari decried
this situation thusly: "international law has become like the gentle lamb
whose care is entrusted to a herd of wolves."
Feature photo | File photo - American soldiers patrol Syrian
