In photos: Life inside Syria's makeshift oil refineries

Two labourers fill a tanks on a lorry at a makeshift oil refinery outside the town of Tall Alu in al-Hasaka province, northeastern Syria (MEE/Martin Bader)

Two oil workers fill freshly refined fuel into a bucket at a makeshift refinery in the region of Tall Alu in al-Hasaka province in northeastern Syria (MEE/Martin Bader)

Two labourers at a makeshift refinery in northeastern Syria wait for traders to buy their fuel (MEE/Martin Bader)

A 13 year-old boy is helping his father running a makeshift oil refinery close to the city of Tall Alu in al-Hasaka province, northeastern Syria (MEE/Martin Bader)

Three oil labourers sit next to a makeshift refinery close to the town of Tall Alu in al-Hasaka province, northeastern Syria (MEE/Martin Bader)

A labourer at a makeshift oil refinery is taking a rest from work close to Tall Alu in al-Hasaka province in northeastern Syria (MEE/Martin Bader)

Many oil workers say that the lack of protective equipment puts their health at risk (MEE/Martin Bader)

Dozens of makeshift refineries produce gasoline, diesel and heating fuel at a pit outside Tall Alu, al-Hasaka province in northeastern Syria (MEE/Martin Bader)

The smoke of makeshift refineries can often be seen from dozens of miles away. Makeshift refineries at a road in Tall Alu region in al-Hasaka province, northeastern Syria (MEE/Martin Bader)

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