Exxon Mobil and Total might bring Islamic extremism in the Mediterranean

Exxon Mobil and Total have asked Mozambique to send more troops to guard their operations in the north of the country following a series of Islamist militant attacks, according to an industry source and two security consultants quoted by Reuters. Turkey's brotherly relation with Islamists can also lead to destabilization in the Mediterranean.

It is known that the same companies are involved in hydrocarbon exploration in the Cypriot EEZ, where some of the largest natural gas deposits are estimated to be present.

Exxon Mobil announced last year that it has made the world’s third-biggest natural gas discovery in two years off the coast of Cyprus in the Eastern Mediterranean at the Glaucus-1 well. The region is already known for some of the world’s largest discoveries. It wants to become an alternative energy source for Europe.

Perched on the maritime edge of two massive gas finds in the Levant Basin - Leviathan off Israel and Zohr off Egypt, Cyprus, lies in a region of overlapping rivalries and geopolitical risk. Cyprus is ethnically divided, and Turkey, which supports a breakaway Turkish Cypriot state in occupied north Cyprus, says Greek Cypriots have no jurisdiction to explore for natural gas. Greek Cypriots say it is their sovereign right.

Based on preliminary interpretation of the well data, the discovery could represent a natural gas resource of approximately 5 trillion to 8 trillion cubic feet (142 billion to 227 billion cubic meters)

As countries in the eastern Mediterranean are called upon to confront Turkey's illegal claims and defend their interests and energy plans, Islamic extremism threatens to spread to the European south as well.

Through the Syria-Turkey-Libya triangle, Ankara has succeeded in establishing a network of illegal arms transfers and is transporting jihadist mercenaries in Libya fighting for Turkey. Following the failed 2016 coup d’ etat attempt in Turkey and the thousands of arrests of Turkish Armed Forces personnel continuing to date, Syrian terrorists and Islamic extremists in general are partially filling the gap created in the Turkish war machine.

Turkey's move to relocate thousands of mercenaries to Libya could be a preamble for the use of Islamists as proxies of the Turkish regime on future fronts, such as in Cyprus and Greece. It is also worth noting that Turkey is fueling further conflicts in Africa by transporting a significant number of weapons to Nigeria.

Consequently, the activities of hydrocarbon exploration and drillings in the Cyprus EEZ and the wider Eastern Mediterranean region do not appear to be threatened as much by the weakened Turkish forces as by the mercenary Islamists that Ankara can transfer to the region.

Sudden attacks on structures, the use of unmanned aerial vehicles and suicide attacks can become a daily occurrence in the seas of Greece and Cyprus if the necessary measures are not taken in time and Turkey's criminal activities and influence over extremist groups are not stopped.

Mozambique's northern province of Cabo Delgado is home to one of the largest natural gas fields in the world discovered over the past decade, and the two powerful oil companies are working on LNG projects that could topple the country’s weak economy.

The area is also the nucleus of an Islamic uprising that has killed hundreds of people since 2017. Islamic militants have destroyed villages, clashed with soldiers and often captured and beheaded prisoners, much like ISIS. The three sources, according to Reuters said the companies were negotiating with the government to try to increase the number of soldiers protecting their activities.

One security consultant said there were about 500 troops in the area and the companies wanted an additional 300. A knowledgeable industry source and a security consultant said security measures had been called for, but no further details were disclosed.

Total and ExxonMobil declined to comment on the request for troop increases, but the French corporation said its employees' safety was paramount.

"We continue to closely monitor conditions and work with competent authorities and other stakeholders to provide a safe working environment for our workforce and local communities," the French colossus said.

The Islamist extremist group calls itself the Ahlu Sunnah Wa-Jama and launched its attacks in 2017. More recently, the Islamic State has claimed responsibility through the media, although there has been no confirmation of the association of the two terrorist organizations. Fighters - who see Islam as an antidote to what they describe as a corrupt leadership elite - have stepped up their operations in Cabo Delgado, analysts say.

There are also concerns about the escalation of clashes in the south of the country following an attack in the Quissanga area last week.

The Turkish intervention in Libya and the shadowy moves of Turkish intelligence officers in other African conflicts such as Nigeria, led Turkey to succeed in changing the forms of modern warfare with a primary focus on terrorism as a weapon. Eastern Mediterranean governments and Armed Forces must take immediate action before extremist mercenaries begin targeting Greece, Cyprus, Egypt and Israel by order of Ankara.