U.S.-backed rebel forces handed control of Syria’s largest gas field to Russian forces yesterday, following talks between Russian and Kurdish officials in northeast Syria, according to a new report by Zero Hedge. The senior officials recently met in Qamishli, possibly landing on a commercial deal for control of the major Syrian fossil fuel asset. The Conoco gas field, located near the contentious Deir Ezzor area, was liberated from Islamic State forces at the end of last month. Russian forces assisted the Syrian rebels in capturing the region, which was one of the terrorist organization’s main strongholds in Syria. The Deir Ezzor province and its natural resources provided the Islamic State with much of the cash it needed to fund its early operations and recruitment campaigns. Prior to the beginning of the post-Arab Spring civil war in 2011, the Conoco field’s output was higher than any other in the nation. […]