One billion dollars in losses of the «Autonomous Administration» in northern Syria due to Turkish air drones
Kamal Sheikho
A senior Syrian oil official said that the direct damage to
infrastructure in northeastern Syria after the Turkish air attacks amounted to
more than one billion US dollars, and that these losses are increasing as
Ankara continues its attacks on vital stations, especially energy, fuel and
gas, at a time when the Autonomous Administration demanded international
intervention to rehabilitate these facilities that were destroyed by the
Turkish aggression on its areas of influence earlier this month.
The director of the oil fields in Rumailan, Ahmed Ibrahim, who spent 35
years working in its service, says that the recent Turkish attacks were the
third during the years of the war in Syria in 12 years, but they were the most
violent and most destructive, and explained that the number of sites, vital
facilities, electricity and oil stations targeted, amounted to 104 sites;
between complete destruction or out of service, and semi-damaged, and estimated
their financial losses at more than one billion US dollars.
He said that the damage caused to the “Odeh” gas field in the
Mabada district (Turbah Spih) after the Turkish targeting of 9 sites, caused
material losses from the oil and gas leakage of 35 million US dollars, while
the main oil collection stations of the “Swaidiya 2” facility, which
is the largest ever in the region, were completely burned with all devices and
equipment in it, pointing out that the value of the loss at the station in
terms of equipment, tanks, tanks and turbines, amounted to $ 100 million, while
the value of the oil that leaked was estimated During the period of the attacks
it caught fire with about $45 million.
Between 5 and 11 October, the areas of the Autonomous Administration were
subjected to Turkish drone and warplane attacks, which resulted in the death of
44 people, including 35 members of the Internal Security Forces (Asayish) and
the injury of 55 others. These attacks focused in particular on major oil and
gas plants in sprawling fields near the Syrian-Turkish border, and others for
electricity generation and pumping water in the cities of Hasakah and Qamishli,
causing severe damage in an area where infrastructure is already fragile due to
the ongoing war. years ago.
The oil official pointed out that the total financial losses that affected
gas as a result of Turkish targets in the Swedish fields, amounted to 120
million square meters worth 67 million US dollars, and the amount of domestic
gas produced in the plant on a daily basis was estimated at 160 tons, and since
the station went out of service, 4800 tons were wasted at a cost of 60 million
US dollars.
He stressed that the damage affected the turbines of the electric power
plants at the Swedish facility, whose losses were estimated at “about $ 27
million, as they stopped generating electric power, while the value of the full
losses suffered by the remaining turbines in the facility was estimated at $ 23
million.”
The Rmeilan fields, which have been under the influence of the
administration since 2014 and its military wing, the Syrian Democratic Forces,
backed by an international coalition led by Washington, produced before the war
in 2011 about 90,000 barrels per day extracted from 1,322 wells, while the neighbouring
Swedish fields alone produced about 116,000 barrels per day, in addition to the
presence of 25 natural gas wells.
Damage to civilian equipment was estimated at $15 million, according to
official Ahmed Ibrahim, adding that the material losses on safety equipment
used to deal with and extinguish fire at sites, including phones, fire trucks
and other safety equipment, amounted to $5 million.
In a related context, the Autonomous Administration, in a recent official
statement published on its website, appealed to the international community to intervene,
and rehabilitate the infrastructure destroyed by the Turkish attacks. The
“administration” revealed through its statement its inability to
maintain it because its available capabilities are simple and called on
international bodies to redouble their efforts to rehabilitate destroyed
facilities and structures to ensure the progress of work towards achieving and
maintaining stability to support livelihoods and efforts to provide services.
The Autonomous Administration and the SDF demanded that its ally Washington
and the Russian forces deployed in Syria show a clear position on the Turkish
attacks on their areas. From time to time, Turkey launches drone strikes
targeting SDF-controlled areas, which fought fierce battles against ISIS, which
ended with its defeat from the last areas under its control in the town of
Al-Baghouz in Deir Ezzor countryside in the spring of 2019.
Alsharq Alawsat
