America’s military ally in Syria has become an important supplier of crude oil to the regime of President Bashar al-Assad, showing the gaps in efforts by Washington to put economic pressure on a government it opposes. The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, or SDF, is delivering oil to Qatirji Group, a Syrian broker targeted by U.S. and European sanctions for supplying fuel to Mr. Assad’s government, said a person familiar with U.S. intelligence and a tanker-truck driver transporting the crude.

Source: Wall Street Journal February 08, 2019 16:58 UTC