U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper says U.S. will leave forces in Syria to defend oil fields from Islamic State
BRUSSELS — Defense Secretary Mark T. Esper said Friday that the United States would leave forces in Syria to protect oil fields and keep them from falling into the hands of the Islamic State.
The move came a day after Trump said the United States would prevent the Islamic State from regaining control of oil fields in eastern Syria and signaled an increasing U.S. focus on Syrian energy assets.
“We are also considering how we might reposition forces in the area in order to make sure that we secure the oil fields,” Esper said. “We are now taking some actions. I’m not going to get into the details.”
He said the U.S. deployment “would include some mechanized forces,” but he declined to comment on reports that the Pentagon’s plans include the possibility of tanks or other armored vehicles and support personnel. The purpose of the troop repositioning is to “ensure that we can deny ISIS access to the oil fields,” he said, using an acronym for the Islamic State.
Esper said the overall U.S. withdrawal from Syria would continue.
The troops would remain in the eastern Syrian province of Deir al-Zour, where the United States has maintained a base, Esper said. He said the U.S. military remains in close contact with the Syrian Kurdish forces that it has long assisted.
Esper’s announcement came a day after Trump said on Twitter that “we will NEVER let a reconstituted ISIS have those fields!”
“Perhaps it is time for the Kurds to start heading to the Oil Region!” he added.
Pentagon officials have expressed concern that the unstable situation in Syria could allow the Islamic State to regain strength. Administration leaders have been discussing options, including tanks and associated U.S. troops, to protect oil fields that are currently under SDF control.
The shift to protecting oil fields also could raise issues in Congress.
The Pentagon is operating in Syria under the long-standing Authorization for Use of Military Force passed by lawmakers in the wake of terrorist attacks in September 2001 to target “nations, organizations, or persons” who were involved and to prevent “future acts of international terrorism.”
While the Obama and Trump administrations have argued that allows action against the Islamic State, there are concerns that the Syrian regime or forces aligned with it also could want the oil fields.
One U.S. official, speaking before Esper’s announcement, said an operation to secure oil fields would probably require about a company of U.S. troops at the outset, including a couple hundred service members, several tanks and supporting equipment.
The details would be decided based on what equipment is already in the theater, said the official, who spoke on the condition on anonymity because of the sensitivity of the situation.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/worl...131f1a-f723-11e9-829d-87b12c2f85dd_story.html
and you dont have to be an american for this to be true either. The whole western world functions on this rule its just that america does the dirty work so everyone else pats themselves on the back and thinks they are better. Your car your iphone and all your toys say otherwise
