Syria has provided the clearest picture yet over the losses the country has suffered as a result of the United States presence in the country's east and north.

According to Damascus, the illegal occupation by the U.S. military in Syrian areas that are rich with natural recourses has prevented the war-torn country from access to 107.1 billion dollars till the first sixth month of this year.

The Syrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates says the other factor behind the financial losses was the looting and illegitimate trafficking carried out by terrorist groups and the separatist QSD militia. The militia group is backed, trained, and armed by U.S. forces.

The massive losses alongside destruction in the extraction, supply, distribution, and investment of oil, gas, and mineral wealth stretch back to 2011 when the foreign-backed militancy began in Syria.

The acts of terror by the militants went alongside a social media disinformation campaign against the country’s government that proved effective to drum up support from other terrorists around the world.

At least 1000 American troops backed by the U.S Air Force are publicly known to be present in Syria. Critics of the American occupying forces say the sinister role played, in particular, looting and obstructing access to the country's oil is a punishment against the Syrian people for supporting their government and defeating Daesh terrorists. The other objective is to serve Daesh Takfiri militants when the time is right. Nevertheless, it had been clear the illegal presence and violation of international law and another country’s sovereignty is not wanted by the vast Syrian public.

It should not be forgotten that the Syrian army spearheaded the fight and sacrificed the most against Daesh terrorists and the army remains close to the hearts of Syria’s diverse ethnic and religious population.

The ministry sent two letters addressed to the United Nations Secretary-General and the President of the Security Council that read “according to the figures of the Ministry of Oil and Mineral Resources and its accurate statistics, the direct losses suffered by this key vital sector amounted to 24.2 billion dollars as a result of the thefts of oil, gas and mineral resources that have been committed by the terrorist groups and the separatist SDF militia that is spreading in northeastern Syria under the auspices, protection, and support of the American forces present in Syria illegally”.

The ministry also points out that “the estimated value of these losses resulting from extraction, smuggling and illegal trade in Syrian oil, gas and mineral resources amounted to $18.2 billion until the end of the first half of this year, and the SDF militia continues to steal and smuggle Syrian oil, gas and mineral resources and illegal trade. The project is under the cover and protection of the American forces present in Syria illegally.”

The letters say that “these losses are also caused by the sabotage and theft of extracting and transporting Syrian oil, gas and mineral resources facilities by terrorist groups, the estimated value of losses resulting from these crimes amounted to 3.2 billion dollars.”

It adds that “In addition to the illegal bombing and aggression perpetrated by the so-called “international coalition” on Syrian oil and gas facilities, the estimated value of the losses resulting from these acts of aggression amounted to 2.8 billion dollars”.

The ministry characterizes the above losses as directly inflicted by the United States military. The presence of U.S. troops prevents the Syrian government from accessing the oil fields and agricultural resources of northeastern Syria. As for the estimated value of the indirect losses until the middle of this year, the Syrian Foreign Ministry reveals that “it amounted to $82.9 billion,”

Damascus says this “represents the values of lost production of Syria’s crude oil, natural gas, gas for house use, various oil derivatives and mineral wealth, due to the decline in production down from the expected and planned rates within the framework of normal working conditions as a result of the crimes of sabotage, destruction, theft and illicit trafficking committed by terrorist groups and separatist militias that spread in the areas of oil and gas fields and mineral resources under the protection, sponsorship and cover of the U.S. forces illegally present in Syria.”

By not allowing Damascus to access its natural resources, Washington is preventing the Arab country from returning to its prewar level, something that serves the interests of the Israeli regime. Speaking last year, Brett McGurk, the White House coordinator for the Middle East and North Africa, said one of the main U.S. objectives in Syria was “to support Israel.”

The ministry called on the UN General Secretariat and the Security Council to study the contents of its letters and called for their adoption by the UN General Assembly.

The U.S. has been strongly denounced for violating Syria's sovereignty and interfering in the country’s domestic affairs.

Experts say there is no solution to Syria’s future without a Syrian-only peace process. In 2015 even the United Nations Security Council unanimously adopted Resolution 2254 which stated that “the Syrian people will decide the future of Syria,”. A clear reference to a political process and end to violence. There is no mention of foreign parties such as the U.S. military or Daesh terrorists.

The ministry hopes that the contents shared will pave the way for the world body to efficiently deal with the humanitarian and economic situation in Syria, particularly in light of what was included in Security Council Resolution 2642 regarding the expansion of humanitarian activities, including early recovery projects that are aimed to provide water, sanitation, health care, education, shelter and electricity.

The country’s permanent representative to the United Nations, Bassam Sabbagh, says “nearly 66 thousand barrels per day are looted by the U.S. as 500 tankers were taken out into the Iraqi borders during the last days,”

Addressing the UN security council on the humanitarian and political affairs in Syria he called on the world body to respect his country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity by ending the illegal foreign presence on Syrian soil. The success of a political process is based on the collective fight against terrorism he said.

 “Syria is exerting great efforts to consolidate national reconciliations, provide decent life conditions for its citizens, reconstruct infrastructure and secure the safe, voluntary return of the displaced Syrians to their country,” Sabbagh said.

The Syrian ambassador added that the country “has been able to repatriate more than 2.4 million citizens to their places of residence… and the Security Council’s adoption of resolution No. 2642 has made an additional step towards improving and enhancing the delivery of humanitarian aid to the people in need,”

Syria’s representative said his Government was open to any sincere effort to overcome the humanitarian crisis and ready to participate in efforts whereby Syrians would take part in a national process without foreign intervention.

According to Sabbagh, some countries affirmed Syrian sovereignty, yet violated it on the ground by supporting terrorist groups, sending military aircraft to bomb oil installations or imposing unilateral sanctions on the Syrian people. 

Those airstrikes are not limited to the U.S., but America’s top ally in the region, the Israeli regime has also added to the instability through support for terrorist groups and airstrikes on Syria.

At the Security Council session, Russia strongly condemned Israeli airstrikes against “various targets in Syria” while calling for the “full restoration of the sovereignty, independence, unity, and territorial integrity of Syria and the cessation of illegal foreign military presence.”