DAMASCUS (Dispatches) – Villagers in Syria’s northeastern province Hasakah have blocked the passage of a column of the U.S. military and the Kurdish-led so-called Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), forcing it to turn back, SANA news agency has reported.
According to the media outlet, residents of the Farfara village intercepted the convoy of four U.S. vehicles, accompanied by an SDF car, pelting them with stones.
A video showing the residents blocking the convoy appeared on Twitter.
On Tuesday, a convoy of nearly three dozen U.S. military trucks reportedly carried tons of grain from Syria’s Hasakah province to the semi-autonomous Kurdistan region in northern Iraq.
Local sources told SANA that 32 military vehicles loaded with wheat crops and accompanied by SDF-owned cars entered the Iraqi territories through the al-Waleed border crossing.
Also on Tuesday, several helicopters transferred logistical materials and munitions to the U.S. military base in al-Shaddadi town, which lies in the southern flanks of Syria’s Hasakah province.
There has been an increase in public protests against the presence of U.S. and SDF troops in the territories that are under their control. SDF militants are said to have used lethal force to disperse protests on multiple occasions.
Meanwhile, the elders of the major Arab tribes have spoken out against the U.S. and SDF presence, demanding restoration of Damascus’ authority.
The U.S. military has stationed forces and equipment in northeastern Syria, with the Pentagon claiming that the deployment is aimed at preventing the oilfields in the area from falling into the hands of Daesh terrorists. Damascus says the deployment is meant to plunder the country’s resources.
The U.S. first confirmed its looting of Syrian oil during a Senate hearing exchange between South Carolina Republican Senator Lindsey Graham and former U.S. secretary of state Mike Pompeo in late July last year.