Shafaq News- Baghdad/ Damascus
Iraqi drivers transportingcrude oil to Syria urged Baghdad on Thursday to arrange security escorts insideSyrian territory, warning they would suspend operations unless their safetyconcerns are addressed.
In videos circulating onsocial media, the drivers reported repeated gunfire, robberies, and lootingalong the transport route into Syria. They noted that earlier requests forstronger security measures, including appeals to Syrian customs officials, hadgone unanswered, calling for designated unloading sites to protect cargo andpersonnel.
Baghdad and Damascus recentlyestablished a framework to facilitate the transit of Iraqi petroleum productsacross Syrian territory amid disruptions to maritime shipping, particularlythrough the Strait of Hormuz, which carries around 20% of global oil supplies.
On June 13, unidentifiedgunmen opened fire on an Iraqi oil tanker traveling along the Aleppo-Manbijhighway in northern Syria, causing material damage, a source told Shafaq News.
