Syrian "Oil Battalions" Plundering Crude Oil

In scenes that recall the actions of the first Jihadists when break out of Arabia, rebels on Syria have taken to plundering oil sources in that nation. I am reminded of the accounts of the destruction of the Sassanid Persian empire, when tapestries were torn apart for their gems, perfumes (being mistaken for spices) were poured into soups, and anything that was not necessary to teach Islam was destroyed. This was to continue with conquered Byzantine and Western regions as well. Although liberal academicians vociferously deny this, many sources hold that it was the armies of Islam that destroyed what was left of the library of Alexandria. The academicians prefer to blame early Christians, even though it was in fact Christians who for centuries laboriously hand-copied ancient classical manuscripts - this while the only medium for containing the words were expensive parchment (the papyrus being blocked after the Islamic conquest of Egypt).

In the case of the free-for-all with crude oil among them Jihadists, one is reminded that Islam, although it has a veil of a system that worships the God of Abraham, is actually based on a pagan Arab way of life that still exists, particularly in how different clans deal with each other.

Hat tip to Gates of Vienna.

http://gatesofvienna.net/2013/10/the-oil-battalions-of-syria/#more-31281

".........Starting in 2013, we have seen the emergence of bandits in the regions of Deir Ezzor, Rakka and Hassaké, bandits engaged in a special activity: the theft of crude oil. First they drilled pipelines to extract crude then sold it to the public, taking advantage of the general scarcity and making significant profits. Then they stole extraction and oil exploration equipment and even pipelines, hundreds of kilometers of them, with a value exceeding millions of dollars. These items were sold as scrap for a few thousand Syrian pounds (€1 = 150 LS)!

But in this race for the black gold of East Syria, greed was quickly generated and disputes over wells have become increasingly fierce between the protagonists represented by hordes of al-Qaeda (the al-Nusra Islamic State of Iraq and Sham (EIIC) Front), the heads of Bedouin tribes and Kurdish fighters. When disputes broke out over the division of spoils, as if they were raiding camels or cattle, some wells were burned to prevent another faction occupying the well: “This well is either mine or belongs to no one.” It belongs to whomever can attract the greatest number of fighters to protect “their well.” Other wells were deliberately demolished.

Health disaster

This oil, in its two variants, heavy and fluid, which fell into the hands of people who have no concept, no knowledge of the risk of contact with bare hands and without protective masks, has led to skin diseases and respiratory diseases, not to mention inhalation of toxic gases caused by fire pits. Thieves, employing these primitive methods of “refining” absorb more carcinogenic gases and fumes of toxic radiation. Will the oil overcome the thieves’ lives before international intervention stops this traffic?

Ecological disaster

The rupturing of pipelines has triggered the flow of oil onto arable land and the poisoning of deep groundwater for hundreds of years. To this must be added the atmospheric emissions of toxic gases from burned wells. Equipment used for production and extraction is 95% contaminated.......

Having dismantled and sold to Turkey a thousand factories in Aleppo, then robbing the wheat silos from this rich Syrian plain, jihadists in recent months have attacked oil to the absolute silence of the international community. The “oil battalions” were formed for self-refinement, utilizing hurried techniques with mobile refining units. The stolen oil is the property of the Syrian people. It is plunder............

So Europe, which has allowed the import of oil stolen from the Syrian people, behaves like a fence and swaps the cheap oil against money and equipment. In addition, revenues from the oil collected by the jihadists and al- Nusra EIIC are used to purchase weapons, armour, provide a comfortable pay-out for jihadists and maintain an endless war. The EIIC can afford to attract new jihadists and compensate them generously. The activity of the EIIC even extends also to the cultivation of cannabis, as was the case in Afghanistan........"