US OCCUPYING forces came under fire at an oilfield in Deir Ezzor, Syria, on Saturday as troops’ continued presence in the Middle East meets increased resistance.

Explosions took place at the Conoco plant, where US troops are stationed, at around midnight, with local sources describing “unusual movements” of US soldiers in the aftermath of the blast.

A US defence official confirmed that the attack had taken place but said initial reports suggested there were no casualties, injuries or structural damage.

The major natural gas field in northern Syria was the first to be captured by the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces from Isis in September 2017.

It is named after the US company which discovered the gas reserves and built a processing plant there.

Syria has previously accused Washington of stealing natural resources, including wheat and oil, and transporting them out of the country via illegal crossings into northern Iraq.

Today, local sources in al-Suwaidiya village, Hasaka province, claimed that a convoy of 24 trucks had left Syria. Some 44 lorries were also reportedly seen taking oil across the border last week.

No group had taken responsibility for the attack, but it comes during an escalation by resistance forces in the wake of US drone strikes in Syria and Iraq earlier this month.

A child was killed in the attacks along with four soldiers from the Iranian-backed Popular Mobilisation Forces, which is part of joint anti-Isis operations in the region along with the Iraqi army.

The US has about 2,500 troops stationed in Iraq despite the Iraqi parliament voting unanimously for an end to its presence there, which came after the assassination of Iranian Quds Force commander General Qassem Soleimani in a drone strike at Baghdad International Airport in January 2020.