THE Syrian Arab Army blocked a US convoy in the northern oil-rich Hasakah province on Sunday evening, accusing Washington of the continued plunder of the country’s natural resources.

At least six US armoured vehicles were prevented from passing through the villages of Qabr al-Saghir and Qabr al-Gharajeneh as locals took to the streets in angry protest.

They were joined by the Syrian Arab Army as rocks were hurled at the US forces while chanting slogans demanding an end to the occupation of Syria.

No casualties were reported in the latest confrontation with the occupying forces, which came days after a US convoy in the Rehiyeh al-Sawda and Tamna al-Rehiyeh villages was also blocked.

Syrian officials claim the US is stealing oil and wheat and taking it to Iraqi Kurdistan via an illegal border crossing. 

In January, the US military was accused of smuggling Syrian crude oil out of the country in a convoy of 128 military trucks, including tankers and flatbed trucks carrying battle tanks and heavy ammunition.

US forces are deployed in north-eastern Syria under the guise of fighting Isis and other jihadist groups there.

They are part of a so-called global coalition at the invitation of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, but the government of President Bashar al-Assad has repeatedly called for them to leave.

Recent calls by SDF Commander Mazloum Abdi for Washington to increase troop numbers have caused consternation in the wider movement which insists Kurdish resistance is an anti-imperialist liberation struggle.

His stance is in opposition to that of the Kurdistan Communities Union leadership which has clearly stated that the future for the semi-autonomous region lies with Damascus, not the US.

A widely criticised oil deal struck between the SDF and the US Delta Crescent Energy in 2020 expired last April after US President Joe Biden axed a waiver allowing it to trade in Syria.

But Syrian Democratic Council co-chair Ilham Ahmed has since insisted that local officials were planning to resurrect the agreement while she has issued calls for the region to be exempted from US sanctions.