Syrian army seizes key oil fields, cutting major terrorist funding source

Syrian government forces have captured critical oil and gas facilities in the east, depriving the SDF/PKK of a primary revenue stream used to finance terrorism. President al-Sharaa detailed how these national resources were exploited for a decade by Daesh and later by the Kurdish-led militia.

In a major strategic and economic blow to terrorist groups, the Syrian Arab Army has seized control of vital oil and natural gas fields in the country's northeast. As part of its recent military operation, government forces captured the Omar, Koniko, Sufyan, and Resafa refineries, facilities that for years served as a primary financial lifeline for the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and its dominant component, the People's Protection Units (YPG/PKK).

Decade-long exploitation of national resources ends

Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa provided a detailed account of the systematic plunder of Syria's wealth. He explained that before the 2011 conflict, Syria produced 400,000-600,000 barrels of oil daily, generating over $2 billion in annual revenue. For the past decade, control of these fields passed from the terrorist group Daesh, which captured Raqqa and Deir ez-Zor in 2014, to the SDF/YPG after 2017. President al-Sharaa stated that proceeds from illicit oil and agricultural sales were split, with half sent to the PKK headquarters in Qandil, Iraq, and the other half financing SDF/YPG militants, thereby directly funding terrorism against Syria and neighboring countries.

Military operation secures territory and resources

The capture of the energy infrastructure is a direct outcome of the Syrian Army's latest offensive. After clearing the Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafiyah neighborhoods in Aleppo, government forces advanced across the western bank of the Euphrates River, reaching the city of Raqqa. Simultaneously, armed tribal groups in the western countryside of Deir ez-Zor cleared terrorists from numerous towns, linking up with the army near Mansoura. This coordinated action has effectively restored state control over the economically vital Jazira region.

A critical victory for regional security

The return of these resources to Syrian state control represents a significant victory with implications beyond economics. It disrupts a major funding mechanism for the PKK terrorist network, which has used these revenues to sustain its campaigns. For Türkiye, a nation that has suffered greatly from PKK terrorism and has long argued that the YPG is inseparable from the PKK, this development is a positive step toward eradicating a common terrorist threat. It underscores the importance of restoring legitimate state authority to end the exploitation of national resources for terrorism and to establish lasting stability, a goal aligned with Türkiye's national security and the broader interests of the region.