Energy links between Bashar al-Assad’s regime and Islamic State stretch beyond oil, according to a Turkish security source that spoke to Anadolu Agency.
The Syrian regime and ISIS, which controls most oil and gas fields in Syria, have been cooperating over power supplies as well as trading in oil, the source said on condition of anonymity.
Last month, airstrikes damaged ISIS oil pipelines, electricity plants and transmission systems, causing power shortages in areas under the control of Assad, the source said.
According to the source, the regime sent a team of engineers into Deir al Zor and Mariye regions in the Islamic State's territory to make repairs.
The arrangement was purportedly uncovered by Turkish intelligence’s monitoring of Syrian military communications, the source said.
The EU and U.S. have both imposed sanctions on individuals and companies accused of facilitating the oil trade between Assad and ISIS.
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