[Reuters] FBI Director Kash Patel says he has forged new law enforcement partnerships with China and Russia, two longtime U.S. rivals, over the past year in hopes of gaining allies in combating transnational crime including fentanyl,
…for which China is the main supplier of precursor chemicals…
cyber fraud
…both China and Russia are involved, among others…
and child sexual exploitation.
…human trafficking has long been a problem in the countries of the former Soviet Union, while in China poorer men buy North Korean wives because they can’t afford to compete for the attentions of their countrywomen.
The partnerships have involved personnel exchanges in which Chinese law enforcement officials have visited the United States and FBI agents have traveled to China to work on cases together and share intelligence. Separately, FBI and Chinese officers have carried out joint raids and arrests under the arrangement.
Patel returned from a trip to Beijing in late July, and a similar trip to Russia has been tentatively planned for October, according to FBI officials.
In exclusive interviews with Reuters, Patel described the FBI's initiatives with what he called "non-traditional partners" as selective and limited to specific types of transnational crimes such as global child pornography networks and cyber scam centers that prey on Americans.
The partnerships, known internally as "working groups," represent a major break with the past and have raised concerns within the broader counterintelligence community about the risks posed by sharing sensitive domestic security information with authoritarian regimes working to undermine the United States economically and militarily around the world.
In May, the FBI, China's Ministry of Public Security and Dubai police worked together in "Operation Sand Dollar," a major raid on a cyber scam center in Dubai that led to 300 arrests, $300 million seized and thousands of trafficked workers freed, the FBI said. In at least one case, a suspect inside China who was accused of "serious violent crimes" was repatriated to the United States, according to Chinese state media.
Fair enough.
U.S. officials have long portrayed Russia and China as exporters of crime instead of potential allies in combating it, not to mention sources of espionage aimed at American interests worldwide.
Patel, appointed by President Donald Trump, said such risks can be managed.
"They are both new and dynamic relationships, and we are extremely mindful of their adversarial approach on many matters," Patel said. "They are not going to stop, but if we can go and have wins for America, then we must engage."
FBI, CHINA EXCHANGE POLICE OFFICIALS
The current relationship began with Trump's visit to China in May 2025 and was followed by two trips by Patel to China. Patel said the cooperation has expanded across four working groups: cyber fraud, violent crimes against children, counternarcotics and a fugitive task force.
As part of the partnership, Patel has brought officials from China's Ministry of Public Security, or MPS, to multiple FBI facilities in the United States to share intelligence and investigative information.
"Every month, they send their working-level MPS officers here, and the following month we go there," Patel said.
…one hopes their devices are copied and the contents thoroughly investigated, while our people take blank devices for use while over there to limit exposure…
"They are speaking with us daily, which has also never happened before."
Asked about joint law enforcement operations, a spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in Washington said, "We have always believed that dialogue and negotiation are the right way forward, and that military means offer no solution."
Uh huh. About that replacement plan that’s supposed to kick off in two years…
Patel said information exchanges are narrow in scope and limited to the four types of transnational crime where intelligence sharing is reciprocal. Patel said these new FBI partners would not replace longtime U.S. allies such as the "Five Eyes" intelligence partnership with Canada, Australia, Britain and New Zealand.
[ShabelleMedia] Somalia’s army chief, Major General Ibrahim Mohammed Mohamud, on Tuesday presided over the graduation of an elite unit of the 16th Danab Special Forces Brigade after the troops completed advanced training at the Ballidogle military base.
The programme, supported by Somalia’s international partners, particularly the United States, was designed to enhance the commandos’ tactical skills, operational capabilities and readiness for special operations, military officials said.
Addressing the graduating troops, Mohamud praised their discipline and commitment throughout the course, urging them to apply their newly acquired skills in defending civilians and combating holy warrior groups.
He also thanked the instructors, military officers and international partners who contributed to the training, commending their efforts to strengthen the professionalism and effectiveness of the Somali National Army.
The graduation forms part of broader efforts to improve the operational readiness of the U.S.-trained Danab Special Forces, which have played a leading role in Somalia’s campaign against the al-Qaeda-linked holy warrior group al-Shabaab ... Somalia's version of the Taliban, functioning as an arm of al-Qaeda...
[MAPPR] KEY TAKEAWAYS
The scale: ~49,000 crossings in 24 hours. What began Thursday as an estimated 2,000 to 3,000 crossings was revised drastically upward: Spain's Interior Ministry says about 49,000 people entered Ceuta in roughly 24 hours, more than half the city's population. Ceuta's president put the figure as high as 60,000. The military deployed to Ceuta and to Melilla, which saw 300 to 400 crossings of its own.
⚠️
A mounting death toll. By 2 August the toll had reached at least 72 as more bodies were recovered from the water and the breakwaters, according to Spanish authorities. Some drowned; others were crushed trying to climb the breakwater and fence. It is the deadliest event in the enclaves' modern history, and officials expect the count to rise further.
🗺️
Geography is the whole story. Ceuta is 18.5 km² of Spain, and therefore of the European Union, attached to Morocco. An 8 km double fence seals the land border, so most crossings happen by sea, swimming around the breakwaters at El Tarajal and Benzú.
📈
The only route that's growing. EU-wide irregular crossings fell 37% in the first half of 2026, but the Western Mediterranean route into Spain rose 17%, the only major route to increase, according to Frontex.
🕰️
An echo of 2021. May 2021's crisis, 8,000 people in two days, was the previous record. This surge was roughly six times larger in a single day, and unlike 2021 it appears driven not by a diplomatic rupture but by a Spanish Supreme Court ruling and rumors spread around it.
Spain is deploying its military to Ceuta, its small enclave on the North African coast, after an estimated 49,000 people crossed from Morocco in roughly 24 hours starting July 30, 2026, by far the largest border surge in the enclave’s history. At least 72 people died in the attempt, most of them in the water, the deadliest crossing in the enclaves’ history.
To understand why this keeps happening in the same few hundred meters of coastline, you need a map. Ceuta is one of the strangest borders on Earth: 18.5 square kilometers of the European Union attached to Africa, sealed off by an 8 km double fence that ends, on both sides, at a beach.
[Rudaw] Iran and Oman on Wednesday agreed on the intended routes for a safe commercial shipping corridor through the Strait of Hormuz, Tehran’s foreign ministry announced, adding that a joint statement by the two sides on shared management is currently in the final stages of drafting, following months of maritime restrictions at the vital waterway.
“Talks between Iran and Oman, as the two littoral states of the Strait of Hormuz, aimed at designating a safe transit route for commercial shipping, have been ongoing over the past two months," Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said, as quoted by the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB).
Baghaei added that "the geographical coordinates of the intended route have been agreed upon by both parties," stressing that this holds provided no third-party states "obstruct" the process, and noting that a joint statement covering the agreement's major points "is currently in the final stages of review and drafting."
More at the link
More from regnum.ru The US military announced it would facilitate the passage of thousands of ships through the Strait of Hormuz.
[Regnum] More than 1,000 commercial vessels have transited the Strait of Hormuz in three months with the assistance of the US military. This was announced on August 5 by the US Central Command (CENTCOM).
"Over the past three months, U.S. forces have assisted more than 1,000 vessels in successfully transiting the strait," CENTCOM said in a statement.
It is also noted that the southern passage through the Strait of Hormuz remains open for civilian commercial vessels.
On August 2, a representative of the Islamic Republic's negotiating team stated that reports that Iran had allegedly agreed to the US proposal to open the Strait of Hormuz were false. He emphasized that the strait would remain closed as long as the US continued its hostile actions in the region.
According to The Wall Street Journal, in late July, the US president ordered preparations for a new series of strikes against Iran aimed at forcing the republic's capitulation. In response, the US Embassy in Israel warned Americans of a possible escalation in the Middle East. Similar reports appeared in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Jordan, Iraq, Oman, Bahrain, and Qatar. Americans were urged to consider leaving the region.
Reports said the deal, which would renew a US-Iran ...a theocratic Shiite state divided among the Medes, the Persians, and the (Arab) Elamites. Formerly a fairly civilized nation ruled by a Shah, it became a victim of Islamic revolution in 1979. The nation is today noted for spontaneously taking over other countries' embassies, maintaining whorehouses run by clergymen, involvement in international drug trafficking, and financing sock puppet militias to extend the regime's influence. The word Iran is a cognate form of Aryan. The abbreviation IRGC is the same idea as Stürmabteilung (or SA). The term Supreme Guide is a the modern version form of either Duce or Führer or maybe both. They hate JewsZionists Jews. Their economy is based on the production of oil and vitriol... ceasefire, would preserve Iranian control of the strait’s traffic.
But official sources briefing Iranian media stressed that any reopening of the strait would depend on the United States fulfilling what Tehran sees as a US commitment to end its own naval blockade of Iran’s ports.
The most recent round of fighting between the US and Iran, which began about a month ago, has centered on access to the strait, which Iran has obstructed, and which was a key pathway for the global supply of oil and gas before the war.
One obstacle to a deal may be the uncertain status of Iran’s supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said in an interview aired by state TV on Wednesday that interaction with Khamenei is currently "very difficult." Mojtaba has not made any public appearances since he became supreme leader, replacing his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei ...the very aged actual dictator of Iran, successor to Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini...> , who was killed in a strike launched against Iran by the US and Israel on the first day of the war in late February.
PROPOSED DEAL SAID TO GIVE IRAN SOME CONTROL
The proposed deal between Iran and Oman would give Tehran control over ships entering the Gulf through the Strait of Hormuz, a senior Iranian source and two regional officials told Rooters on Wednesday, one of the biggest concessions yet to Iran.
There were varying reports on the deal. Iran reported "significant progress" in the talks with Oman and said both inward and outward journeys would pass through Iranian waters. Before the war, the strait was freely open to all ships with no fees.
In comments to Iran’s official IRNA news agency, Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said the arrangement was "designed in such a way that fat merchantmen will pass through Iranian territorial waters, both on the inbound and outbound legs of their journey."
He said the talks with Oman had "reached fundamental understandings" and added: "This progress is on the verge of being finalized."
Gharibabadi also said Iran had received messages from the United States indicating that it was "fully prepared to return to its commitments" under a mid-June memorandum of understanding with Iran that provided for immediate cessation of military operations.
He said this was a condition for reopening of the strait, but not enough in itself, while adding that no talks with the United States had been held in recent days.
A Wednesday report on Channel 12, meanwhile, said the strait would be open for 60 days and that vessel traffic entering Hormuz toward the Gulf will pass through the Iranian side of the strait, while traffic exiting the channel toward the Arabian Sea will use the Omani side. During the 60-day period, no tolls will be charged by any side.
During the first 30 days, the parties will work to clear mines from the strait — something that may well take longer, given that there are an estimated 70 to 100 bombs planted in Hormuz, the Channel 12 report said. After the main lane of the strait is cleared, it will be used for both incoming and outgoing vessel transit.
The report said Oman and Iran will use the 60-day period to negotiate a permanent arrangement for ship traffic through the Strait of Hormuz.
There was no immediate US comment on the proposal, and while Trump has said a deal reopening the strait is imminent, US officials have repeatedly insisted they would never agree to Iran controlling access to the world’s most important trade route for energy supplies.
The other regional source said there were still details to be determined about how "control" would be defined, with Gulf negotiators insisting regional countries supervise inspections of ships, and that any payment of fees be voluntary. According to the senior Iranian official, Iran is seeking fees of between 5% and 7% of the price of cargoes from ships using the strait. Oman is discussing smaller fees of around 3%, while Washington wants no fees at all.
Making any fees voluntary, at least nominally, could be a way out of the impasse, although an implied threat of Iranian attacks could mean shippers would be unlikely to risk transit without paying.
An Iranian source said, "The devil is in the details. A single tweet from Trump could cause the whole thing to collapse."
[HodhodYemenNews] A delegation from Hamas ..the braying voice of Islamic Resistance®,... , led by Khalil al-Hayya, met on Monday with the head of the Ottoman Turkish National Intelligence Organization (MIT), Ibrahim Kalin, to discuss political and field developments, the status of negotiations, and the humanitarian situation in the Gazoo
...Hellhole adjunct to Israel and Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, inhabited by Gazooks. The place was acquired in the wake of the 1967 War and then presented to Paleostinian control in 2006 by Ariel Sharon, who had entered his dotage. It is currently ruled with a rusty iron fist by Hamas with about the living conditions you'd expect. It periodically attacks the Hated Zionist Entity whenever Iran needs a ruckus created or the hard boyz get bored, getting thumped by the IDF in return. The ruling turbans then wave the bloody shirt and holler loudly about oppression and disproportionate response... Strip, alongside violations in the West Bank, Quds (Jerusalem), and against prisoners.
Al-Hayya described the latest round of negotiations as "decisive and important," emphasizing the need for genuine efforts to hold the Israeli occupation to ceasefire commitments. He called on The Sick Man of Europe Turkey ...the occupiers of Greek Asia Minor... to continue its role alongside mediators to oversee implementation. Furthermore, he stressed the necessity of immediately halting violations, as well as restructuring the Paleostinian political landscape based on partnership, democracy, and the rebuilding of leadership institutions.
For his part, Kalin reaffirmed the consistency of his country’s position, praising the stance of Hamas and other Paleostinian factions during the negotiations. He underlined the necessity of moving forward with practical steps and implementing agreed-upon measures to guarantee the Paleostinian people’s right to a dignified life.
[Jpost] Palestinian sources say that the transfer to Turkey involves most of Hamas's covert activities, while Qatar will continue to host the terror organization's leadership and public-facing activities.
Hamas ..always the voice of sweet reason... is transferring some of its organizational activities, including its planning and cyber departments, to The Sick Man of Europe Turkey ...the only place on the face of the earth that misses the Ottoman Empire... , KAN reported on Wednesday.
Paleostinian sources say that the transfer to Turkey involves most of Hamas's covert activities, while Qatar ...an emirate on the east coast of the Arabian Peninsula. It sits on some really productive gas and oil deposits, which produces the highest per capita income in the world. They piss it all away on religion, financing the Moslem Brotherhood and several al-Qaeda affiliates. Home of nutbag holy manYusuf al-Qaradawi... will continue to host the terror organization's leadership and public-facing activities.
According to KAN, security forces in Qatar have bound the movement of Hamas's leadership throughout their territory, requiring them to obtain permission for any official meetings.
This comes as a result of Hamas's decision to appoint Khalil al-Hayya as its leader, which Qatar disapproved of.
The Qataris instead backed Khaled Meshaal, who had closer ties to Qatar than the Iran-backed al-Hayya.
QATAR PREFERRED ANOTHER CANDIDATE, AL-HAYYA SEEKS ALTERNATE TIES
Hayya, who served as chief negotiator for the terrorist organization during the Israel-Hamas War, was chosen to be head of Hamas's political bureau on July 20 to replace Yahyah Sinwar - a role that has been vacant since Sinwar's death in Gazoo in October 2024.
During that period, the terror organization was temporarily managed by a collective governing committee.
Hayya served as a Hamas point person for ties with Arab and Islamic states. He accompanied Hamas's Ismail Haniyeh ...became Prime Minister of Gaza after the legislative elections of 2006 which Hamas won. President Mahmoud Abbas dismissed Haniyeh from office on 14 June 2007 at the height of the Fatah-Hamas festivities, but Haniyeh did not acknowledge the decree and continued as the PM of Gazoo while Abbas maintained a separate PM in the West Bank. Zapped during the 2023-24 war, to eveyone's satisfaction... on his visit to Tehran in July 2024, during which the latter was assassinated.
Hayya, who is himself based in Qatar, met with Ottoman Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan last week in his first high-level meeting since being elected.
"Fidan reiterated Turkey’s strong support for what he called the ’just cause’ of the Paleostinians in every field and on every international platform," Turkey's state-run media, Anadolu Agency, announced.
[Rudaw] Iraq's borders with Syria remain "calm and secure," a high-ranking Iraqi border official said Tuesday, despite reports from regional and Syrian media outlets that Syria's army has entered a state of alert and is deploying units along the country's borders with Iraq amid security concerns.
"The situation along [Iraq's] border with Syria is normal, and the movements on the Syrian side to secure the borders are taking place with our knowledge and in coordination with us," Lieutenant General Mohammed Abdul-Wahab Sakr al-Saeedi, commander of the Border Guard Forces, told the state-run Iraqi News Agency (INA).
He further emphasized that "there is no current threat on the borders, and there is an exchange of information and coordination with the Syrian border forces."
The remarks follow reports from regional outlets that Syria's defense ministry has ordered Alert Level C and deployed units along the Iraqi border, amid a widening conflict between the US and Iran ...a theocratic Shiite state divided among the Medes, the Persians, and the (Arab) Elamites. Formerly a fairly civilized nation ruled by a Shah, it became a victim of Islamic revolution in 1979. The nation is today noted for spontaneously taking over other countries' embassies, maintaining whorehouses run by clergymen, involvement in international drug trafficking, and financing sock puppet militias to extend the regime's influence. The word Iran is a cognate form of Aryan. The abbreviation IRGC is the same idea as Stürmabteilung (or SA). The term Supreme Guide is a the modern version form of either Duce or Führer or maybe both. They hate JewsZionists Jews. Their economy is based on the production of oil and vitriol... and its affiliated gangs across the region, including in Iraq.
"Our units are holding the border firmly, and the Syrian side has not occupied the border posts so far," Saeedi said.
The Iraq-Syria border, which stretches approximately 600 kilometers, has been at the forefront of numerous conflicts in recent years, most notably the war against the Islamic State ...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that they were al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're really very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear western pols talk they're not really Moslems.... (ISIS), which saw krazed killergunnies exploit the border's vulnerability to establish a so-called caliphate spanning the two countries.
The border has also seen several gangs build underground tunnels to bypass it, transiting personnel, weapons, and narcotics across the frontier.
[Rudaw] Iraqi border forces have seized 4.5 million Captagon pills during the first six months of the year after foiling attempts to smuggle the narcotics into the country using balloons launched from Syria, according to data provided to Rudaw by the Iraqi Border Guard Command.
The figures show the pills were intended to be flown into the deserts of Anbar and Najaf provinces using GPS-equipped balloons, marking what officials say is a growing smuggling tactic adopted after the fall of the former Syrian regime in December 2024 and tighter security measures along the Iraqi-Syrian border.
"Most of the Captagon shipments transported by balloons and intercepted by border guards are launched from the Syrian border toward Iraq. In July alone, more than 4,000 Captagon pills were seized after traffickers attempted to smuggle them by balloon into the Rutba desert in Anbar province," Saad Ghazi, head of the security committee at the Anbar Provincial Council, told Rudaw's Hastyar Qadir on Tuesday.
The seizures highlight the evolving methods used by regional drug trafficking networks as Iraq continues to serve as both a destination and a transit route for Captagon, a highly addictive amphetamine-type stimulant. Iraqi authorities have intensified anti-narcotics operations in recent years, expanding cross-border cooperation with neighboring countries to disrupt trafficking networks.
A senior Iraqi border official, speaking to Rudaw on condition of anonymity, said, "The balloons carrying Captagon are usually released during the day and fly at a height of approximately 200 meters. They are equipped with GPS devices so drug traffickers can later locate and retrieve them after they land," the official said.
"Our border guard units immediately bring the balloons down whenever they detect them, preventing the shipments from reaching their intended destinations," the source added.
According to the official, part of the Captagon seized inside Iraq is intended for the domestic market, while traffickers attempt to move the rest onward to other countries, including Gulf states.
This year, Iraq has stepped up efforts to combat Captagon trafficking.
In June, Iraqi and Syrian anti-narcotics authorities dismantled an international trafficking network in joint operations inside Syria, seizing around 200 kilograms of narcotics destined for Iraq. Syrian authorities said the operation also led to the confiscation of 800,000 Captagon pills. At the time, officials said joint Iraqi-Syrian operations had seized more than five million Captagon pills since the start of 2026.
Authorities in Iraq have also carried out a series of domestic operations in recent months. In July, Iraqi security forces seized 51 kilograms of Captagon pills and arrested two suspected traffickers in separate raids. Days earlier, military intelligence arrested a suspected drug dealer in Baghdad who was allegedly carrying 14,000 Captagon pills.
Captagon was produced on an industrial scale in Syria under the rule of former president Bashar al-Assad, with regional and international officials long accusing figures linked to the former Syrian government of facilitating the trade. Although Assad's government has fallen, Iraqi officials say clandestine production and smuggling networks remain active across the border, forcing traffickers to adopt new methods to evade tighter security.
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08/06/2026 00:00 ||
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[IsraelTimes] US Vice President JD Vance denies that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confronted him last week in Washington over his recent criticism of Israel.
“He didn’t confront me. We had a nice and frank conversation,” Vance tells Fox News in an interview when asked about an Axios report that used the word “confronted” in the headline, but not in the story itself.
Axios likes to stir up trouble, and they’ll makes stuff up if they don’t have any actual facts.
A “senior Israeli official” briefing reporters in Washington last week said Netanyahu had a “good” and “honest” conversation with Vance, days after the vice president called out Jerusalem for funding an online influence campaign that allegedly saw paid activists criticize the Vance-led US efforts to negotiate an end to the Iran war.
A senior White House official subsequently characterized the Netanyahu-Vance meeting as “a cordial and productive conversation about Middle East issues that are important to both countries. [With the pair] agreeing to continue pursuing opportunities for Israel and the United States to cooperate in areas of mutual interest and shared goals.”
Elaborating on the meeting, Vance reiterates to Fox News that he views Israel as a “great partner” but that that doesn’t mean their interests are always aligned.
“The American media is fascinated by this dynamic. But the simple reality is that my job is to pursue the interests of no other nation on earth except for the United States of America,” he continues. “So when our interests are aligned with Israel, we talk about how to accomplish those shared objectives.”
“When my viewpoint is averse to that of the prime minister of Israel, we have a frank conversation about that. I would frankly describe it as a pleasant, but direct conversation. I didn’t feel confronted,” Vance adds.
[IsraelTimes] The United States has lifted sanctions targeting Iraq’s Fly Baghdad airline, a company it had previously designated for alleged links to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
In an update to its website, the US Treasury lifted sanctions on Fly Baghdad and two of its aircraft, but maintained its sanctions against a man previously identified as the company’s owner, Basheer Abdulkadhim Alwan al-Shabbani.
Washington had originally designated the airline, its aircraft and owner in January 2024, alleging that it provided support to the IRGC’s Quds Force and its proxy groups in Iraq, Syria and Lebanon.
A US Treasury official, speaking on condition of anonymity, tells AFP the airline had been removed after going through the department’s administrative reconsideration process.
“FBA (Fly Baghdad Airlines) has demonstrated major changes to their operations such that their listing is no longer warranted,” the official says.
They clarify that the removal was “not indicative of any shift in US policy toward the Government of Iran, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps—Qods Force, any designated terrorist organization, or any person who supports or acts on behalf of any of these.”
[IsraelTimes] The National Iranian Oil Company’s bank accounts have been frozen by a state-owned lender over mounting debt, the semi-official Fars news agency reports, underscoring the strain being felt by the country’s most important source of revenue.
The Bank of Industry and Mine does not provide details on the amount owed or the accounts affected, according to Fars, which adds that the move came despite provisions in Iran’s budget law that deferred repayment of certain NIOC debts until the end of the Iranian calendar year in March 2027.
Separately, the head of the National Development Fund (NDF) says NIOC will not be able to repay the fund a nearly $17 billion debt using proceeds from the Azadegan oilfield, one of the country’s largest, as its development has been slowed by bureaucratic delays and administrative obstacles.
“The repayment of NIOC’s debt via this route (Azadegan) won’t work… There was hope for payment of debts via moves such as the cession of other oilfields but there is leniency and postponing due to the current conditions,” Mehdi Ghazanfari is quoted as saying by the semi-official Borna news agency.
“We hope that with the end of the war and a return to normal, this issue will be solved,” he says, referring to the US-Israeli war with Iran.
The developments highlight mounting financial strains on NIOC as sanctions, years of underinvestment and reliance on domestic financing have increased pressure on its balance sheet.
With foreign investors largely absent from the country’s energy sector due to US sanctions, NIOC has increasingly relied on domestic institutions, including the NDF, to finance field development. This has turned the NDF, which was intended as a sovereign wealth fund, into a source of project financing and left the oil company with mounting debts.
[Rudaw] The state-run Syrian Petroleum Company (SPC) announced Tuesday that it has reached an agreement with US-based HKN Energy to rehabilitate and restore production capacity at Syria's largest hydrocarbon field, located in northeast Syria (Rojava), by the end of next year.
SPC Director Youssef Qablaoui and HKN CEO Mark Rollins "discussed plans to develop production" at the Rumeilan field complex in Rojava’s Hasaka province, "using modern technologies, along with the targeted timeline for gradually raising field output to around 250,000 barrels per day [bpd] by the end of 2027," the state-owned company said in a statement.
"They also reviewed rehabilitation projects to be executed by HKN to enhance operational efficiency," the statement added, affirming "the importance of leveraging national expertise and giving local residents the opportunity to participate in operations and development work, in a way that supports local development and bolsters the oil and gas sector."
Rumeilan produced between 180,000 and 200,000 bpd before the Syrian war (2011-2024), accounting for roughly half of the country's total oil output. The complex includes more than 1,300 oil wells and multiple gas processing facilities spread across eastern Hasaka.
Kurdish People's Protection Units - later unified under Rojava’s de facto military force, the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) - took control of the fields after Syrian government forces withdrew in 2012. The complex has since served as a primary revenue source for the Rojava administration.
The agreement between the SPC and HKN comes months after Damascus and the SDF reached a 14-point integration agreement in late January, with its third clause stating that "the Syrian Government shall take control of all border crossings, oil fields, and gas fields in the region [under SDF control], with protection secured by regular forces to ensure the return of resources to the Syrian state, while considering the special case of Kurdish areas."
Posted by: trailing wife ||
08/06/2026 00:00 ||
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A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
... Somalia's version of the Taliban, functioning as an arm of al-Qaeda...
...a theocratic Shiite state divided among the Medes, the Persians, and the (Arab) Elamites. Formerly a fairly civilized nation ruled by a Shah, it became a victim of Islamic revolution in 1979. The nation is today noted for 
..the braying voice of Islamic Resistance®,...
..always the voice of sweet reason...
...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that they were al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're really very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling 
