ISIS carries 4th attack on oil wells’ investor in Syria’s Deir Ez-Zor
DEIR EZ-ZOR, Syria (North Press) – In a fourth attack of its kind, gunmen affiliated with the Islamic State (ISIS) attacked on Saturday the house of an oil well investor in a town east of Deir ez-Zor, eastern Syria.
A local source from the town of Hawaij Diban, 50 km east of Deir ez-Zor, said that unknown gunmen, riding motorbikes, targeted the house of “Ghanam al-Jadi,” an oil wells investor in Deir ez-Zor, with two RPG missiles and machineguns under the pretext of not paying zakat (royalties) to ISIS.
Following minutes of clashes, the attackers withdrew, causing material damage in the site, the source said.
ISIS militants targeted the house of al-Jadi three days ago, confirming that the attack was merely a warning in turn for not paying royalties, as they returned yesterday to target his house again, the source noted.
ISIS is waging an economic war by imposing royalties on the oil investors to finance itself. This followed the issuance of a statement in Iraq, in which ISIS declared the decline of its economy, stressing the start of the economic war against its opponents.
The majority of traders and investors in oil wells are forced to pay royalties to ISIS for fear of being killed under the constant threats, while others resort to moving outside the region for fear of ISIS’ tyranny.
On Feb. 23, ISIS sleeper cells shot dead an oil investor, after refusing for the third time to pay royalties in the town of al-Hariji in the town of al-Suwar, 70 km north of Deir ez-Zor,
Recently, ISIS sleeper cells have intensified their actions in Deir ez-Zor countryside despite security operations carried out by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).