DAMASCUS, Sept. 9 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. forces moved 88 tankers of "stolen" Syrian oil from the northeastern province of Hasakah to U.S. bases in neighboring Iraq on Friday, state news agency SANA reported.
The latest shipment was sent to Iraq in batches through the illegal al-Mahmoudiyeh crossing connecting Hasakah with northern Iraq, said the report.
Last week, more than 300 oil tankers were sent from the U.S.-controlled Syrian oil fields in Hasakah to U.S. bases in Iraq, according to SANA.
In Syria, people have been struggling to secure gas for cooking and fuel for their cars and businesses. The scarcity of fuel also causes long daily power cuts.
On Aug. 8, the Syrian oil ministry said in a statement that the U.S. forces were stealing 80 percent of Syria's oil production.
The U.S. forces and their mercenaries are stealing an average of 66,000 barrels of oil per day in Syria as the country's average daily oil production is estimated to have reached 80,000 barrels in the first half of 2022, it added.
On Aug. 29, the Syrian oil ministry said in a statement that the U.S. practices in Syria including its unlawful trafficking of Syrian oil have so far caused direct and indirect losses of about 107.1 billion U.S. dollars to Syria's oil and gas sectors. ■