Millions of Syrians struggling to survive face a new threat-the daily seizure of wheat shipments by U.S. forces- pushing many of them closer to the brink of starvation, an eyewitness told China Media Group (CMG) during an interview.
Once a thriving exporter of wheat and other foods, Syria is now grappling with the challenge of feeding its own people. The latest report from the World Food Programme (WFP) shows that approximately 55 percent of Syria's population, which equates to 12.9 million people, are facing food insecurity, with 3.1 million of those individuals severely affected.
Residents are struggling on meager bread rations for their very survival. Syrian farmer Fiaz who lives in an area controlled by unauthorized U.S. forces, is one of them. Faiz lives in a small village in northeastern part of Syria's al-Hasakah Governorate, only three kilometers from al-Mahmoudieh, the illegal border crossing with Iraq, and only about six kilometers from the nearest U.S. military base. To reach the city of Hasakah for an interview, he had to travel over 200 kilometers from his village.
As a witness to the U.S. military's seizure of wheat, Faiz faces significant risks. He noted that passing through more than 20 checkpoints with photos on his phone could lead to immediate detention.
"There are over 20 checkpoints on the road, for most of the time we have to pass villages to avoid opposition forces. We ride motorbikes to avoid the roads where the oppositions forces are. There are several checkpoints where they also check cell phones, ID, and we try to avoid them," the witness said.
"From the harvest season in May, I've seen them almost every day. Every day there are vehicles leaving from Tall 'Arur, to the U.S. military base near al-Yaarubiyah located more than ten kilometers away, and then to al-Mahmoudieh. Every day, there are 15 to 20 large trucks with Iraqi plates from Nineveh or Erbil, escorted by U.S. military vehicles and often accompanied by helicopters. This routine continued daily until the end of the harvest season. Trucks gather in Tall 'Arur to collect grain purchased from farmers and then transport it through the illegal al-Mahmoudieh crossing," Faiz continued.
Faiz showed photos from his phone during the interview of U.S. military trucks loaded with wheat.
Displaying one of them, the farmer explained, "All the trucks in it were fully loaded with wheat, because they are all from the silos in Tall 'Arur. All local silos were full of grain. The trucks left Tall 'Arur and headed towards al-Mahmoudieh."
"We take pictures almost every day. But the problem is, due to the checkpoints, we often have to delete them. The opposition forces supported by the U.S. constantly check our phones and can even recover deleted photos from the memory cards," he said.
Faiz offered additional insights into the activities of U.S. troops operating in Syria. "U.S. troops patrol the main roads in the al-Yaarubiyah area daily. One of their bases is only about six kilometers from us. Various vehicles loaded with Syrian resources constantly enter this base. It's a kind of occupation, and we hope to get rid of it. Their actions are making us starve. They have taken our food and everything from us, making life very difficult. The villages and people here only want the U.S. troops to leave our country so we can return to how things were before 2011," Faiz said.
Syrian farmer pictures US wheat seizures, revealing details of US move
