(VOVworld) - Russia said Friday that trucks loaded with oil continue to cross Syria into Turkey but in lesser numbers due to Russia’s airstrike campaign against Islamic State.

A video image of a Russian air strike on an Islamic State oil-processing facility at an unidentified location in Syria (AFP Photo)

Citing intelligence data, Moscow said the number of oil tankers moving along the so-called northern route towards a refinery in the Turkish city of Batman had gone down. Russian defense ministry said despite a significant 'detour', Turkey remains the final point of the smuggling route.
Over the past week, Russian strikes destroyed 17 truck columns as well as 37 targets involved in the extraction and refining of oil. Overall, around 2,000 oil tankers have been destroyed since Russia launched a bombing campaign in Syria on September 30.