Gunmen target Syrian government oil tankers in Deir ez-Zor
DEIR EZ-ZOR, Syria (North Press) – Unidentified gunmen targeted on Thursday oil tankers belonging to the Syrian government in the countryside of Deir ez-Zor, eastern Syria.
A source from the village of al-Hejjnah in the eastern countryside of Deir ez-Zor told North Press that two attackers riding a motorcycle opened fire with a machine gun on two tankers loaded with crude oil near the village’s desert area in the morning.
According to the source, the assailants chanted slogans supportive of the Islamic State and remained at the scene for nearly half an hour, preventing the drivers from sealing the bullet holes in the tanks, causing the oil to leak out completely.
The attackers also threatened the drivers, warning them to stop transporting oil and to relay a message to other drivers that they would be targeted if they continued their work, the source added.
On Wednesday, unidentified gunmen targeted a convoy of oil tankers on the main road in the town of Jazrat al-Buhamid in Deir ez-Zor western countryside, killing one driver and damaging three tankers.
The incidents come amid ongoing security challenges in parts of Deir ez-Zor, where attacks on oil transport routes have occurred intermittently.