Antique building, Palmyra. Photo: Bernard Gagnon / CC BY-SA 3.0
Through the conquest of the oasis city, the is the government in Damascus under strong prere
With the conquest of the antique oasis town of Palmyra, it succeeded "Islamic state" Again, to draw attention to the international public on its destructive opportunities ("The world is committed to the loss of oscillable cultural purity"To). For this there were propaganda successes by taking the tortured torture rate Tadmor. What less considered is the role that the area around Palmyra for the energy supply of the country. With the occupation of Palmyras, the IS-Milizen have an important node under their control.
In the region around the city are significant gas and Olfelder. Was Palmyra in antiquity a station on an important caravan strain, so it is now the turntable for the energy supply of Syria. It is now transit station of gas pipelines from coarse fields of the provinces of Hasaka and Deir Ezzor.
As well as everything with the Syrian gas production, the processing of the gas, the forwarding and the supply of a considerable part of the population, but also the industry, with gas and electricity from power plants west of the place, with the control over Palmyra together, gives Yezid Sayigh to consider.
The expert for warlike conflicts in the Middle East, Tatig for the Think Tank Carnegie, claims that the Islamic state has blocked access to almost the Half – 45 percent of the gas and power sources by the conquest of Palmyras and the following of nearby gas fields.
The treasure comes from the circles of the Syrian opposition, where you are sure to have to call high numbers possible. And some of the gas fields, receiving, pumping stations, flux gas production states etc., The Sayigh mentions are not under firm control, but always rebuilt, for a long time, such as exemplary the gas field Al Shaer or. Djahar, as well as production states like Al-Furqlus.
But Sayigh was allowed to go into black with his reasoning. Thus, with this strategy, the Islamic State can expose the government Assad to strong prere. It is not important to the caliphat at all about exploiting the sources themselves. For gas, in particular as regards flowful gas, this is due to the necessary technical know-how, for which the caliphat is unable to be unable.
Why is the IS to another, on cooperation with the government, how to practice it in Raqqa. The technical auxiliary performance comes from Damascus, the energy of "Islamic state". It depends on the Syrian government. The is put here on the longest lever, which in the "Economic war" gave a significant strategic advantage against Damascus.
If the information of the medium business insiders, private business people condemn the ideology and brutality of the jihadists, but explain the reliability of the arrangements with the IS.