Syrian Forces Capture Al-Omar Oilfield as Kurds Retreat

Al-Omar was the location of the biggest U.S. base in Syria. It has been under the control of Kurdish-led forces since 2017, following the expulsion of the Islamic State group.

A conflict monitor reported that Kurdish-led forces pulled back on Sunday from Syria’s biggest oilfield, while government troops expanded their control over large areas in the northern and eastern parts of the country.

The pressure followed President Ahmed al-Sharaa issuing a decree that officially recognized the Kurds, seemingly as a gesture of goodwill, even though his Islamist administration is striving to establish its control throughout Syria following the removal of long-time leader Bashar al-Assad in 2024.

The Kurdish de facto autonomous administration, which governs significant portions of the northeast, has stated that the announcement was insufficient, while the execution of an agreement to incorporate Kurdish forces into the state has been delayed for several months.

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On Sunday morning, the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) unexpectedly pulled out “from every region it had previously controlled in the eastern Deir Ezzor area, including the Al-Omar and Tanak oilfields,” according to Rami Abdel Rahman, director of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, who informed Agence France-Presse.

He mentioned that the SDF’s retreat in Deir Ezzor and Raqqa provinces occurred as “fighters from local tribes, including Arab fighters who are part of the SDF, moved forward in cooperation with government forces.”

The regions are now under the control of government troops, according to the Observatory.

Al-Omar is the nation’s biggest oilfield and once housed the United States’ largest installation in Syria. It has been under the control of Kurdish-led groups since 2017, following the displacement of the Islamic State group.

The Kurds’ alleged retreat from Al-Omar comes after the government declared it had regained control of two additional oil fields, Safyan and Al-Tharwa, located in Raqqa province.

‘Opening the door’

The government’s efforts have thus far taken over Arab-majority regions that were under Kurdish control during the conflict with the Islamic State, whose defeat in Syria was achieved with the support of the US-backed SDF.

Energy Minister Mohammad al-Bashir stated that bringing the region’s resources back under state authority “signifies wide-open opportunities for rebuilding, rejuvenating agriculture, energy, and commerce.”

Government forces pushed Kurdish fighters out of two neighborhoods in Aleppo after recent fighting, and on Saturday took control of a region east of the city, along with Tabqa, located in Raqa province on the southern bank of the Euphrates.

The military also declared its possession of the Euphrates Dam, close to Tabqa.

A crucial water and energy facility features one of Syria’s biggest hydroelectric power plants.

A local security official in Tabqa stated that military and security personnel were searching neighborhoods following the SDF’s withdrawal.

A reporter observed armored vehicles and tanks surrounding the city, as security forces moved through the streets.

Occasional shooting was reported, according to a security officer who referred to it as minor confrontations with the SDF.

Stores were shut down, yet several locals gathered outside their houses, starting fires to stay warm.

A local inhabitant, Ahmad Hussein, mentioned that individuals were fearful.

“We have endured much, and I pray that the circumstances will get better with the coming of the Syrian army,” he stated.

Close to the dam, a photographer observed locals dismantling a statue that commemorated a woman who had joined Kurdish forces and was killed by IS during the conflict in Raqa City.

The city served as the jihadists’ primary base of power during their peak control over large areas of Syria between 2014 and 2019.

‘Killing must stop’

Syrian officials blamed the SDF for detonating two critical bridges over the Euphrates River in Raqqa province.

The Kurdish administration blamed government troops for attacking their fighters “on various fronts,” while the military claimed the SDF was failing to meet an agreement to “completely withdraw” east of the river.

The Deir Ezzor province announced that all public institutions were shut down on Sunday and advised residents to remain indoors.

The retreat of the Kurdish forces followed an encounter between US representative Tom Barrack and Syrian Kurdish leader Mazloum Abdi in Arbil on Saturday, with the US Central Command calling on government troops “to stop any military operations” between Aleppo and Tabqa.

The United States has historically backed the Kurdish troops, while also supporting Syria’s emerging Islamist leadership.

Turkey, an ally of Damascus, has commended Syria’s operation, yet imprisoned PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan views this scenario “as an effort to undermine” the ongoing peace negotiations between his organization and the Turkish government, according to a group that met with him on Saturday.

In Qamishli, the primary Kurdish city located in the nation’s northeastern region, hundreds of locals took to the streets on Sunday, shouting phrases such as “we will protect our heroes.”

Muhayeddine Hassan, aged 48, stated, “we desire a democracy that embodies all Syrians.”

If Sharaa ‘wants equality … the killing must stop,’ he stated.

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