Omar Oil Field in Deir Ezzor grabbed by the Americans

ISIL fled the area on Oct. 27, two days before SDF took over, after persistent bombing by Syrian, Russian warplanes.  The entire place is replete with IEDs and mines planted by ISIL.   While the Syrian forces did the hard work of chasing away terrorists, the SDF proxies sneaked in from the other side of the Euphrates and took hold of the oil reserves.

               Image source:   South Front


The Syrian Army and Hezbollah are pit against the SDF but both forces have been carrying out simultaneous operations in Deir Ezzor to defeat ISIL and gain control of al-Omar oil field.  Though pro-government forces have not yet confirmed the take over of the oil field by SDF (US), the illegal ownership of Syria's largest oil reserve has passed over from ISIL to SDF, consistently with US backing for both groups.  Located on the shore of the Euphrates that cross-cuts the province of Deir Ezzor, Omar oil field had been the Syrian government's largest source of revenue before the war.

Presently Bashar al-Assad controls roughly 70% of Syria.  But US backed SDF now controls Syria's largest oil fields, gas fields, power plants/stations and fertile farmlands.  The scenario provides a tremendous boost to the political status of the Kurds on international stage, leapfrogging the SNC.  Omar oil field reportedly produces nearly 10,000 barrels of oil per day.  Syrian Kurds will enjoy a huge revenue and will likely expand their federation connecting the autonomous cantons of Afrin and Kobani in "Rojova" to Raqqa and Deir Ezzor.  Another thundering American show!  AlQaeda has never won a single battle without intense US support.  Similarly SDF would achieve next to nothing if they hadn't opted to gang up with the US coalition.  

The prime goal of invading Syria six years ago was to dismantle the Resistance at Israel's behest.  Additionally the Americans saw it as an excellent opportunity to carry out some heists as a bonus for themselves.

According to NYT referring to SDF militias, "The Trump administration does not appear to have a plan to reconstruct the areas or defend them for long after the battle against Islamic State ends.  Without United States air support for the rebels, the Syrian government is likely to retake the territory."  Understandably, it's extremely unlikely that Damascus will sit twiddling its thumbs while a major source of the country's wealth passes into the hands of a secessionist entity.  Whatever action Damascus may decide to take would definitely lead to direct clashes between pro-government forces and SDF.    NYT conveniently overlooks the unmissable.  No US administration has its own plans; it is given the plans it's instructed to carry out.  The US will make history this time if it quits supporting its militias in a region so rich in energy resources. 

With ISIL out of the picture, will Russia hang on to this war and help Syria fight the SDF?  That may depend on the kind of deal the Russians negotiate with the Americans on Moscow's share of the cake.  

Even if the Kurds retain northern Syria, they will continue to require US support.  To utilize the oil reserves of Deir Ezzor, they will need access to the Mediterranean coast via Turkey, a project that would be impossible to materialize considering Turkey's hyper sensitivity to any gestures of Kurdish autonomy, unless Washington stands resolutely by the Kurds and exerts pressure on Ankara.  

It's widely assumed that taking over of Syria's largest oil field is a retaliatory step to the Iraqi army's retaking of the oil-rich city of Kirkuk from KRG following the referendum in Iraqi Kurdistan.  If true (and it likely is), it further diminishes any chances of returning Omar oil field to the Syrian government.   Thereby, Haider Abadi's gain turned out to be Bashar Assad's loss.