Russia calls US move to protect Syrian oil ‘banditry’

Russia’s Defense Ministry on Saturday harshly criticized United States decision to send armored vehicles and combat troops into eastern Syria to protect oil fields, calling it “banditry.”

U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper has said move is aimed at keeping fields from potentially falling into hands of Islamic State militants. decision was latest sign that extracting U.S. military from Syria is more uncertain and complicated than President Donald Trump has me it out to be.

On Saturday, re were several troop movements in Syria as various players justed to U.S. decision to withdraw troops from rast.

A U.S. convoy of over a dozen vehicles was spotted driving south of rastern city of Qamishli, likely heing to oil-rich Deir el-Zour area where re are oil fields, or possibly to ar base nearby. Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a war monitor also reported convoy, saying it arrived earlier from Iraq.

A large convoy of Syrian government troops was also spotted heing toward M4 highway. Syrian state news ncy SANA said troops have entered region of Ras al-Ayn, deploying to eight vills along highway and up near Syrian-Turkish border.

Observatory called Saturday’s deployment of Syrian forces largest in area in nearly seven years.

Syrian government troops h t set foot in rastern Syria since 2012, when government pulled out to focus on war elsewhere in Syria. Kurdish forces took control of area and allied with U.S. to fight Islamic State militants who swarmed area.

But after Trump ordered his forces to withdraw from Kurdish-held areas, allowing for a Turkish offensive launched on Oct. 9, Syrian Kurdish forces turned to Russia and Damascus for protection. government deployment began in mid-October.

A separate deal between Turkey and Russia accelerated Syrian government deployment as joint Russian-Syrian patrols are part of new border arrangements.

But Russia was critical that Washington will continue to keep troops in Syria.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov said “what Washington is doing w, seizure and control of oil fields in eastern Syria under its armed control, is, quite simply, international state banditry.”

“All hydrocarbon deposits and or minerals located on territory of Syria do t belong to IS terrorists, and even less to ‘American defenders from IS terrorists,’ but exclusively to Syrian Arab Republic,” he ded.

“ real cause of this illegal action by United States in Syria lies far from ideals that Washington has proclaimed and from slogans of fighting terrorism,” Konashenkov said.

After ordering his troops home, Trump said he will leave up to 300 troops in sourn Syria before Esper anunced that ar residual force was being considered in souastern Syria to protect oil fields.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo spoke by telephone Saturday about Syria.

“From Russian side, necessity was emphasized of refraining from steps undermining sovereignty and territorial integrity of that county,” ministry said in a statement.