US hits IS oil targets in Syria

Written By Unknown on Kamis, 25 September 2014 | 19.12

25 September 2014 Last updated at 13:00

The US-led coalition against Islamic States has targeted 12 oil refineries in Syria during a third night of air strikes against the militants.

The raids - carried out by US, Saudi and UAE aircraft - killed 14 IS fighters and five civilians in eastern Syria, activists said.

The US military said the refineries generated as much as $2 million (£1.2m) per day in revenue for the militants.

US President Barack Obama has vowed to dismantle the IS "network of death".

Islamic State (IS) oil production
  • IS is believed to control six out of 10 of Syria's oil fields, including the Omar facility, and four small fields in Iraq, including Ajeel and Hamreen
  • Production in Syria is estimated at 50,000 barrels per day and 30,000 in Iraq, generating revenue of between $1m (£600,000) and $5m per day
  • Oil is sold to local merchants, or to middlemen who smuggle it into Iraqi Kurdistan or over borders with Turkey, Iran and Jordan, and then sell to traders in a grey market. Oil is also sold to the Syrian government
  • Seizures of smuggled fuel in Turkey rose from 35,260 tons in 2011 to more than 50,000 tons in the first six months of 2014, before the Turkish authorities began to crack down on illegal trade

Sources: Financial Times, EIA, Iraq Energy Institute, Maplecroft

IS has seized large areas of Syria and Iraq in recent months and controls several oilfields. Sales of smuggled crude oil have helped finance its offensive in both countries.

The US has launched nearly 200 air strikes against the militants in Iraq since August and expanded the operation against IS to Syria on Monday.

'Successful strikes'

The US military said the latest strikes, using fighter jets and drones, hit "small-scale" refineries that were producing "between 300-500 barrels of refined petroleum per day".

Soldier, child and woman in Mursitpinar

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Mark Lowen, on Turkey-Syria border: "[Syrian refugees] don't want to be here"

"We are still assessing the outcome of the attack on the refineries, but have initial indications that the strikes were successful," the US Central Command said in a statement.

Pentagon spokesman Rear Adm John Kirby said the purpose of the strikes was "not necessarily to kill militants" but to destroy the facilities, which were funding IS through the black market.

The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an activist group that monitors the Syrian conflict, said the strikes killed 14 IS fighters in Deir al-Zour and five civilians in Hassakeh.

Kurdish forces in northern Syria say they have pushed back an advance by IS fighters near the Kurdish town of Kobane, close to the border with Turkey.

Local media said clashes in the area were continuing on Thursday.

IS had besieged the town for several days, taking control of the surrounding villages and forcing more than 140,000 Syrian Kurds to flee into Turkey.

The BBC's Mark Lowen, who is on the Syria-Turkey border, says some of those Kurds are now trying to return to Kobane to fight with the Kurdish militia.

Turkey has been overwhelmed by an estimated 1.5 million Syrian and Iraqi refugees since the conflict in Syria between opposition forces and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad began three years ago.

Rebel forces have faced several setbacks in recent months amid offensives against them by both IS fighters and Syrian government forces.

On Thursday, Syria's army said it had retaken the key strategic town of Adra, northeast of Damascus, which had been held by rebels.

On Wednesday, the UN Security Council adopted a binding resolution compelling states to prevent their nationals joining jihadists in Iraq and Syria.

President Obama chaired the session and said nations must prevent the recruitment and financing of foreign fighters.

The US says more than 40 countries have offered to join the anti-IS coalition.

Barack Obama

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Barack Obama: IS "must be degraded and then ultimately destroyed"

France said its fighter jets had carried out fresh air strikes in Iraq on Thursday, a day after the beheading of a French hostage in Algeria by an IS-linked group.

The French military has been striking targets in Iraq since last week but has not taken part in anti-IS operations in Syria.

Meanwhile, the UN said on Thursday that IS had publicly killed a rights lawyer in the IS-held Iraqi city of Mosul, after finding her guilty of apostasy in a self-styled Islamic court.

Samira Salih al-Nuaimi was seized from her home last week after allegedly posting critical messages on Facebook on the destruction of places of worship by IS, the UN Assistance Mission in Iraq said.

Coalition growing

On Wednesday, UK Prime Minister David Cameron said the British military was also ready to "play its part" in the fight against IS.

The UK Parliament has been recalled to discuss plans for air strikes against IS on Friday.

The Dutch government has also said it is deploying six F-16 fighter to join the US-led air campaign.

Who are Islamic State (IS)?

Fighters belonging to Sunni-led militant group Isis

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In 60 seconds: What does Islamic State want?

  • Formed out of al-Qaeda in Iraq (AQI) in 2013, IS first captured Raqqa in eastern Syria
  • It captured broad swathes of Iraq in June, including Mosul, and declared a "caliphate" in areas it controls in Syria and Iraq
  • Pursuing an extreme form of Sunni Islam, IS has persecuted non-Muslims such as Yazidis and Christians, as well as Shia Muslims, whom it regards as heretics
  • Known for its brutal tactics, including beheadings of soldiers, Western journalists and aid workers
  • The CIA says the group could have as many as 31,000 fighters in Iraq and Syria
  • The US has been launching air strikes on IS targets in north-eastern Iraq since mid-August

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