US, Turkish military forces dispatch new reinforcements to bases in northeastern Syria

Local sources, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Syria’s official news agency SANA that a convoy of 40 trucks, carrying various types of weapons, military equipment and logistical supplies, crossed the Waleed border crossing on Monday and headed toward US positions in the province.

The US military has stationed forces and equipment in eastern and northeastern Syria, with the Pentagon claiming that the deployment is aimed at preventing the oilfields in the area from falling into the hands of Daesh terrorists.

Damascus, however, says the unlawful deployment is meant to plunder the country’s resources.

Former US president Donald Trump admitted on several occasions that American forces were in Syria for its oil.

After failing to oust the Syrian government with the help of its proxies and direct involvement in the conflict, the US government has now stepped up its economic war on the Arab country.

Separately, Turkey has dispatched truckloads of military and logistical equipment to northern Syria.

SANA, citing local sources, reported that a convoy of tens of trucks, laden with sophisticated weapons, heavy artillery batteries and anti-armor munitions, in addition to advanced personnel carriers crossed into Syrian territories on Sunday night, and moved towards the city of Ras al-Ayn and surrounding areas.

Turkey has deployed forces in Syria in violation of the Arab country’s territorial integrity. 

Ankara-backed militants were deployed to northeastern Syria in October 2019 after Turkish military forces launched a long-threatened cross-border invasion in a declared attempt to push fighters of the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) away from border areas.

Ankara views the US-backed YPG as a terrorist organization tied to the homegrown Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which has been seeking an autonomous Kurdish region in Turkey since 1984.

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and other senior officials have said Damascus will respond through all legitimate means available to the ongoing ground offensive by Turkish forces in the northern part of the Arab country.