Syrian Villagers Reportedly Force US Military Convoy to Turn Around - Photo

Residents of the Rahyat al-Souda and Tamneh Rahyat villages in Syria's Qamishli district blocked a passing US military convoy, forcing it to change course, Syrian news agency SANA has reported.

According to the report, the US convoy, consisting of six armoured transports, was stopped and forced to turn back as locals started to throw stones at the vehicles while chanting anti-American slogans and blocking the road. SANA's local sources did not specify where the convoy came from or where it went after the stand-off with the villagers. It's unclear what the US military convoy's mission was.

American troops have been stationed in Syria for years in the country's oil-rich eastern provinces, where they back Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) controlling the area. At the same time, the US forces lack an invitation from the government and a UN Security Council mandate for their deployment in a foreign country, making their stay illegal from the standpoint of international law.

Damascus, as well as Moscow and Tehran, have repeatedly pointed out the illegality of the US deployment in Syria, but Washington has ignored all calls to leave the country. Its allies around the world have also stayed mum about this violation of international law by the US.

Washington insists that it maintains a presence in Syria to prevent Daesh* remnants from gaining access to oil sites, despite claiming in the past that they had eradicated the terrorist group's foothold in the country. Damascus has accused the US of stealing the nation's resources, as evidence has repeatedly emerged of American forces moving Syrian crude out of the country in large convoys. The White House claims that all the proceeds from the sale of the oil go to the SDF.

Syria, as well as Iran and Russia, has demanded that the US stop plundering the nation's resources and end its illegal occupation of its territories.