The ‘Oil Mafias’ of the Middle East–How Black Gold stolen from Syria, Iraq, and Kurdistan makes its way to thieves in Turkey and Israel

By Afraa Dagher, Syrian Journalist

For those unaware, the same ‘Islamic State in Syria and the Levant’ with which the US, NATO, and Israel pretend to be at war garners a great deal of its financial resources from smuggling stolen oil from Syria, Kurdistan and Iraq to Turkey and then on to Israel. Tankers bring the oil from Syria and Iraq to the Turkish  city of Zakho which is close to Sirnak province which borders both Syria and Iraq.

Every oil convoy consists of from 70 to 100 tankers and the Oil Mafias responsible for smuggling the oil await these convoys, where merchants of various nationalities, including Syrian, Kurdish, Iraqi, Turkish, and some of Iranian origin take possession of the oil and sell it to the highest buyer, after which time the empty tankers turn around and return to load their hulls again.

This information comes from a source in the Iraqi interior ministry who refused to mention his name.

After subjecting the  stolen oil to a preliminary refining, it is then brought to Turkey through Ebrahim Khalil crossing via a single gate. This crossing at the border between Turkey and Iraq is strongly held by Turkish troops, planes, and check points and no one can cross it without the express consent of the Turkish government.

From there the oil enters Turkey, where the sail of the oil is brokered by an Israeli of Greek origin known as ‘Haj Fareed’ or ‘Dr. Fareed’.

As the Israeli broker in this bargain, he is the one who coordinates between the various mafias that own the stolen oil and three main companies that receive it and transport it out of the three Turkish ports of Dortyol, Jihan, and Mersin. From there it makes its way to Israel via oil tankers, finally landing in the Israeli city of Ashdod .

The money raised through the sail of the stolen oil then makes its way to the terrorists in Syria, Iraq, and elsewhere.

This process is not new, as they have been doing it since the beginning of the so-called Arab Spring. The rebel group al-Nusra Front is active there doing deals with local tribes and controlling as many oilfields as it can, but several remain with unclear ownership and that has allowed an illicit trade to flourish. This was reported by Al-Jazeera English, considered to be a virtual mouthpiece for the rebels.

Another point mentioned by Dr. Theodore Karasik is that these terrorists groups would never attack  central oil  fields in southern Iraq where British and American companies have drilling privileges and rights, while in Syria and in northern Iraq, the terrorists are free to blow up fields whose oil aids the governments of Syria and Iraq in fighting terrorists.

Therefore, the real reason for the USA invading Iraq, as well as its follow-up act, the ‘Arab Spring’, is that it is a new method for invading, dividing and stealing the resources of the countries of the third world under the cover of ‘bringing democracy’ and ‘fighting terrorism’.