DAMASCUS, Jan. 24 (Xinhua) -- Syria has resumed extracting oil at fields in the country's northeast that were recently recaptured from the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), the state news agency SANA reported Saturday.
According to the report, an official with the Syrian Petroleum Company said the crude oil would be transported to refineries in Homs and Baniyas, located in Syria's central Homs province and northwestern Tartus province, respectively.
The official said oil output from the fields is expected to reach about 100,000 barrels per day within four months, which would help bolster the country's energy sector and support the national economy.
On Jan. 18, the Syrian interim authority and SDF signed a ceasefire and integration agreement aimed at ending hostilities and resolving long-standing security and administrative disputes in northern Syria. Under the agreement, Damascus will take control of all oil and gas fields in northeastern Syria, with its forces responsible for securing the facilities.
The official noted that the recovered fields have been handed over to the Syrian Petroleum Company for rehabilitation and reintegration into production.
Before the outbreak of the Syrian crisis in 2011, Syria's oil production peaked at about 400,000 barrels per day. Output has since declined sharply due to the conflict, sanctions and damage to infrastructure, falling to an estimated 25,000 to 50,000 barrels per day in recent years, the report said.
