Syrian source denies smuggling of Iraqi oil

A high ranking Syrian official has described the news which talked about smuggling oil from Iraq to Syria as rumors that Syria has recently become used to.

The Saudi daily al-Watan quoted the said Syrian official as saying on Monday that there is a campaign which aims at undermining Syria's steadfastness and her national role on the Arab arena.

The Saudi paper, on the other hand, said that according to well-informed source, the train which works between the Iraqi city of al-Mawsel and Aleppo in Syria was recently exposed to an armed attack by Iraqi tribes and that confrontations took place between the armed men and the guards of the train. Casualties inflicted are not known yet.

The sources said that the train was attacked while on a trip between the two cities in an Iraqi area near al-Mawsel but did not set a certain date for this attack. The sources noted that the said train was used in smuggling the Iraqi oil through Syria.