'US hijacked illegal contraband business in Syria from IS' - report

The Russian military has accused the United States of hijacking the illegal contraband business in Syria from (Islamic State) IS, according to media organization Sputnik. The militants trained by the US were also given the training to destroy oil and gas infrastructure and to organize attacks against Syrian government forces.

BREAKING: Russian military accuses US of hijacking contraband business in #Syria from Daesh https://t.co/24KMg85yYP pic.twitter.com/q7IgSmlHZk

— Sputnik (@SputnikInt) July 29, 2019

According to Russian military intelligence, as reported by Sputnik, the US has provided various Arab and Kurdish militias with arms in exchange for assistance in the illegal trafficking of Syrian oil to the East of the Euphrates. It also specified that over 300 terror attacks have rocked areas of Syria under US control near the Euphrates between June and July, killing an estimated 225 people.

The media organization further added that separately, the Russian military specified that terrorists have continued their efforts to organize attacks against Russian forces at the Khmeimim Air Base in Latakia, where the Russian contingent in Syria is based.

Washington had given weapons and military training to moderate rebel factions fighting against government forces loyal to President Bashar Assad. The US has provided air support and weapons to the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), an alliance of Kurdish and Arab forces fighting against "Islamic State" (IS) militants in northern Syria. Several hundred US special forces were deployed alongside the SDF.

Moscow has long backed the Assad regime. It has provided government troops with air support and weapons and given it diplomatic backing at the UN and in international peace talks. Russia also has troops on the ground.

Russia first intervened in Syria in September 2015 when it started airstrikes against "terrorist" targets. While Moscow has said it is targeting IS and other terrorist groups, US officials have repeatedly countered that claim by saying Russian airstrikes are primarily directed against non-IS rebel forces fighting the Assad government. The Kremlin, meanwhile, has accused the US of using its campaign against IS as a way to slow Russian and Syrian government military advances.