Beirut: Militants with Daesh have stopped oil extraction from fields in Deir Al Zor province in eastern Syria after US-led strikes targeted refineries, activists told AFP on Friday.

“Oil extraction has been halted because of the security situation,” said Leith Al Deiri, an activist in Deir Al Zor who spoke to AFP via the internet.

The US-led coalition striking positions of the Daesh group in Syria since Tuesday has not targeted any oil fields, but it has hit several makeshift refineries used by the extremists.

The only field in Deir Al Zor now operating is the Coneco gas field, which is used to produce electricity for six provinces, said Al Deiri, who used a pseudonym for fear of persecution by the militants.

Another activist from Deir Al Zor, Rayan Al Furati, confirmed the halt.

Extraction, he said, “has been stopped temporarily”.

“Before, people used to go a lot” to buy oil from the militants, said Al Furati, who also used a pseudonym.

“People... would wait four days to get oil, because there was so much demand. But now there are no customers... There are no traders or clients going to the fields, fearing the strikes,” he said via the internet.

Deir Al Zor is home to six major oil fields and the Coneco gas field.

All the fields have fallen into the hands of Daesh since the group took over the majority of Deir Al Zor province.

Meanwhile, Denmark will send seven F-16 fighter jets to help combat militants in Iraq, Prime Minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt said on Friday.

“I am very pleased that there now is a broad coalition, including countries in the region who want to... contribute,” she said at a press conference, adding that the Danish fighter jets would not join US planes in bombing targets in Syria.

The decision to take part in the campaign in Iraq is expected to receive the support of a majority in parliament and the F-16s could be dispatched next week. They will be deployed for 12 months.

“We were asked to contribute in Iraq, it fits well with what the coalition wants. With regards to Iraq we have a concrete request from the Iraqi government,” Thorning-Schmidt said.

“The terror group is a terrible organisation that Denmark should help battle,” she added.

The country had also been asked by the US to send troops to help train Iraqi and Kurdish security forces, she said.

“We don’t have enough information about the training exercise yet to say who will contribute with [what], so at the moment we can’t rule anything out,” she said.

“What we can rule out is that they would take part in fighting while they are in Iraq,” she added.

Belgium and the Netherlands also plan to send six F-16 fighter bombers to take part in the campaign in Iraq.

In August, Danish lawmakers approved sending a C-130J transport aircraft to Iraq and up to 55 military personnel to help load and guard it.