Al-Qaeda now has control of oil wells in Syria.

The violent anti-Western Jabhat al-Nusra, the al-Qaeda branch which is the strongest in the Syrian resistance, took over wells around the city of Raqqa and in the desert region in the Eastern part of the country. They control up to 380,000 barrels of crude oil.

The oil is being sold to local groups that have small refineries that sell gasoline and other fuel to locals facing shortages due to the ongoing war.

The European Union, which had been considering easing sanctions against Syria in an attempt to help the rebels overthrow the Assad government, is now believed to be reconsidering now that al-Qaeda is directly profiting from the oil sales.

Local refiners say they make as much as 3000 Syrian pounds a day by producing the “home made” gasoline. They say that they know their processing is hazardous to their health but that if they are doing it to keep their families alive.

The Western-backed Military Council opposition has pledged to fight the terrorist group once the civil war is finished but the possibility of the group having significant outside money due to controlling the oil is weakening the group’s positions with western governments.