Jihadists Stop Pumping Oil in East Syria after Raids

Jihadists with the Islamic State group have stopped oil extraction from fields in Deir Ezzor province in eastern Syria after U.S.-led strikes targeted refineries, activists told AFP on Friday.

"Oil extraction has been halted because of the security situation," said Leith al-Deiri, an activist in Deir Ezzor who spoke to AFP via the Internet.

The U.S.-led coalition striking positions of the Islamic State (IS) group in Syria since Tuesday has not targeted any oil fields, but it has hit several makeshift refineries used by the extremists.

The only field in Deir Ezzor now operating is the Coneco gas field, which is used to produce electricity for six provinces, said Deiri, who used a pseudonym for fear of persecution by the jihadists.

Another activist from Deir Ezzor, Rayan al-Furati, confirmed the halt.

Extraction, he said, "has been stopped temporarily".

"Before, people used to go a lot" to buy oil from the jihadists, said Furati, who also used a pseudonym.

"People... would wait four days to get oil, because there was so much demand. But now there are no customers... There are no traders or clients going to the fields, fearing the strikes," he said via the Internet.

Deir Ezzor is home to six major oil fields and the Coneco gas field.

All the fields have fallen into the hands of IS since the jihadist group took over the majority of Deir Ezzor province.