After withdrawal, Trump shifts focus to Syria oil fields

WASHINGTON (AP) — As Russian and Turkish leers divvy up security roles in rast Syria following an abrupt U.S. troop withdrawal, President Donald Trump is focused on oil fields elsewhere in war-torn country.

Trump spurred a fresh wave of criticism Thursday with a tweet ting that he h spoken with Syrian Kurdish military chief Mazloum Abdi and observing that perhaps “it is time for Kurds to start heing to Oil Region,” an apparent reference to oil fields in Deir el-Zour province of Syria. That’s an area that U.S. military commanders see as critical to holding off an Islamic State resurgence in region.

But even as Trump heralded his push to pull nearly all U.S. troops out of what he derided as “blood-stained sands” of Syria, he’s repeatedly referred to country’s oil fields as prized land that he’s intent on protecting.

“We’ve secured oil, and, refore, a small number of U.S. troops will remain in area where y have oil,” Trump said Wednesday while discussing pullout of all but 200 to 300 U.S. troops in Syria. “And we’re going to be protecting it, and we’ll be deciding what we’re going to do with it in future.”

White House officials did t respond to requests for greater clarity about Trump’s tweet suggesting Kurds he to oil region.

Pentagon released a statement Thursday saying it is committed to sending ditional military forces to eastern Syria to “reinforce” control of oil fields and prevent m from “falling back to into hands of ISIS or or destabilizing actors.”

details were provided on how many or what kind of forces would be sent, or wher decisions on those details have been me.

Trump’s decision to withdraw bulk of roughly 1,000 American troops from Syria drew bipartisan condemnation. decision came after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told Trump earlier this month that he intended to carry out an operation to clear Turkey-Syria border of Kurdish fighters who fought side-by-side with U.S. troops in beating back IS fighters in rast Syria.

president’s comments this week raised fresh concerns that he has an incomplete understanding, or is indifferent to, fragile dynamics of region, his critics say.

“ President of United States of America appears to be calling for a mass migration of Kurds to desert where y can resettle atop a tiny oil field,” Brett McGurk, Trump’s former special envoy to global coalition to defeat IS, wrote on Twitter.

But idea of keeping troops in eastern Syria to guard oil fields resonated with Trump and presented military commanders with a way to keep at least a residual force inside country. In dition to a presence near oil fields in eastern Syria, some U.S. forces will remain in sourn Syria.

Defense Secretary Mark Esper said main goal of American troop presence is to make sure Islamic State is contained and unable to gain control of oil fields and revenue y generate. ministration also sees some benefit to Kurds being in control of oil, according to a senior ministration official, who briefed reporters on ministration’s deliberations on Syria withdrawal.

“ Oil Fields discussed in my speech on Turkey/Kurds yesterday were held by ISIS until United States took m over with help of Kurds,” Trump said in ar tweet Thursday. “We will NEVER let a reconstituted ISIS have those fields!”

Eastern Syria is center for what remains of Syria’s oil industry, which although in shambles, remains one of main sources of revenues for Kurdish-led ministration re.

Kurdish forces seized control of small oil fields in rastern Hassakeh province after government pulled out of most of Kurdish-majority regions in 2012 to fight rebels elsewhere.

After expelling Islamic State militants from souastern Syria in 2018, Kurds seized control of more profitable oil fields in Deir el-Zour province.

A quiet arrangement has existed between Kurds and Syrian government, whereby Damascus buys surplus through middlemen in a profitable smuggling operation that has continued despite political differences. Kurdish-led ministration sells crude oil to private refiners, who use primitive homeme refineries to process fuel and diesel and sell it back to ministration.

oil was expected to be a bargaining chip for Kurds to negotiate a deal with Syrian government, which unsuccessfully tried to reach oil fields to retake m from IS. With Trump saying he plans to keep forces to secure oil, it seems oil will continue to be used for lever— with Moscow and Damascus.

Before war, Syria produced around 350,000 barrels per day, exporting more than half of it. Most of that oil came from eastern Syria. Foreign companies, including Total, Shell, and Coco, all left Syria after war began more than eight years ago.

Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said after meeting with Trump on Thursday that he urged him to stay engd in Syria.

“If you can find a way to secure oil fields from Iran and ISIS, that’s in our national security interest,” Graham said.

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AP National Security Writer Robert Burns contributed to this report.