US troops stationed in Syria looted hundreds of metric tons of crude oil in Iraq on Sunday. This was the third time they did so this year. Earlier, the troops had mobilized 73 oil tankers on April 9 and 23 tankers on April 3 to transport their ill-gotten gains. In 2022, the Syrian government said US troops pillaged 66,000 barrels of oil every day, which is about 83 percent of Syria's total oil production.

It is anybody's guess why the US went into Iraq, Libya or anywhere in the Middle East and North Africa. That it is openly stealing oil from Syria, however, takes the cake.

Since the civil war broke out in Syria in 2011, the US and its allies have been actively intervening to pull down the government there. US warplanes have been bombing Syrian government forces, supplying arms and ammunition to the opposition forces, and pouring scorn at Syrian diplomats in international forums.

Even though the civilian strife has largely stabilized, the Syrian government has lost control of many places in the country. The Kurdish forces, and the Islamic State that emerged later, still control places in Syria.

This disintegration of Syria gave the US a chance to take advantage of the situation. When it takes oil, it claims it is from oilfields controlled by the opposition forces; but it even takes oil from Syrian territory and claims it is to help the Kurdish forces.

Anybody familiar with the situation in the Middle East knows how Delta Crescent Energy, a US-based company, has inked a contract with the Kurdish authorities to "develop" and export the region's crude oil under a secretive deal.

So while the US claims to promote "democracy", it is actually there to just make money.

A popular saying on social media goes that where there is oil, there are US troops. That's why I decided to boil, and not to fry, my steak today.