Syrian rebels have set three oil wells in the east of the country ablaze, causing a daily loss of nearly 5,000 barrels of oil and 52,000 cubic metres of gas, state media quoted an oil ministry official as saying yesterday.

Sana news agency said the damage to the oil wells in Deir al-Zor province, much of which is in rebel hands, followed disputes among the fighters over “sharing out the stolen oil” from fields in areas they control.

It said Syria’s Furat Petroleum Corporation was working to extinguish the three fires. A total of nine wells had been set on fire by the rebels, the agency added, without saying when the other six had been set ablaze.

EU sanctions imposed on Syria two years ago over President Bashar al-Assad’s crackdown on protests – which have since developed into armed conflict – effectively halted Syria’s modest oil exports.

Assad’s Government has also struggled to meet domestic energy requirements after losing control of large parts of the east of the country, where most of the oil wells are located. But despite the fighting, residents say oil production has continued in some fields, with rebels trading with local authorities and allowing oil to be shipped to Government-controlled areas.

Meanwhile, on Friday, Turkish authorities said they had seized thousands of guns in a warehouse by the Syrian border, and a local news agency said the weapons had been destined for Turkey’s wartorn neighbour.

The firearms – including more than 5,000 shotguns and rifles, starting pistols, gunstocks and 10,000 cartridges – were discovered during a raid in a village on the edge of the Turkish town of Akcakale and displayed to journalists on Friday.

The Dogan News Agency said the weapons were being stored on the edge of the border town, awaiting delivery to Syria, and that the 35-year-old depot owner had been detained.