The Syrian National Army (SNA) on Friday seized a strategically significant dam on the Euphrates River in Aleppo province from the PKK terrorist group’s Syring wing YPG.
Tishrin Dam, located to the south of Manbij and providing a large portion of water and electricity to provinces east of the river, was occupied by the PKK/YPG terror group in 2015 with the help of the United States. It was one of the first locations the group invaded west of the Euphrates, and the U.S. military set up a base at the dam in January 2016.
Tishrin, along with Tabqa and Baas dams, supply almost 70% of Syria’s electricity.
The SNA operation came a day after four civilians were killed after PKK/YPG terrorists opened fire on protestors in the northeastern Syrian town of Raqqa late Thursday.
The PKK/YPG fired bullets toward hundreds of protestors who threw stones at the terrorists during a rally in Raqqa’s town square against the terrorist occupation, local sources said.
Similarly, in the town of Hassakeh, the terrorists opened fire on a protestor who unfurled Syria’s new flag following the ouster of Bashar Assad’s regime instead of the PKK/YPG’s banner.
While tensions run high, Raqqa residents continue protesting the PKK/YPG occupation.
When the Daesh terrorist group seized a third of Syria in 2014, almost three years after the civil war broke out, the PKK/YPG occupied swathes of northeastern Syria and earned support from the U.S. under the guise of driving out Daesh terrorists.
The group captured Raqqa in 2017.
For Türkiye, the YPG is an extension of the PKK, which has led a decades-old terror campaign inside its own borders, killing at least 40,000 people to create a so-called Kurdish state. Ankara says the YPG is on par with Daesh and should have no presence in the new Syria.
In recent years, Türkiye has deployed troops and worked with local allies such as the opposition Syrian National Army (SNA) to prevent this and keep locals safe from terrorist oppression.
The SNA currently has the group cornered in northern Syria after taking back Tal Rifaat and Manbij, two key strongholds, from the PKK/YPG earlier this month, while anti-regime forces led their lightning offensive against Assad.
The now-defunct Assad regime indirectly aided terrorists by leaving the control of several areas to the PKK/YPG.
Tal Rifaat and Manbij are located on the west of the Euphrates River, which partially divides towns under PKK/YPG control from those under the control of the opposition.
Both are near the Turkish border, posing a direct security threat to the country, which PKK/YPG members targeted in the past. To the south, the central Syrian city of Raqqa is partially occupied by the PKK/YPG. Earlier, Syrian anti-regime forces drove away terrorists from Deir el-Zour, situated south of Raqqa.
Recent offensives led terrorist groups to lose territory for the first time in years beyond an area near Deir el-Zour. Anadolu Agency (AA) reported that some Arab tribes were active east of the Euphrates River, where terrorists had strongholds, and switched sides to help facilitate the fall of PKK/YPG-occupied towns.
Although the terrorist group enjoys military support from the United States as a “partner in the fight against terrorist group Daesh,” it found itself in dire straits due to the advances of the SNA.
Recently, the group’s supporters launched a social media campaign, appealing to Israel to help them stave off the attacks. Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar has called for improving ties with “natural” allies, the Kurds, recently. The PKK/YPG draws recruits among the Kurdish community both in Türkiye and Syria.
The United States, meanwhile, said it will maintain its presence in eastern Syria, where the PKK/YPG is concentrated, and will take necessary steps to “prevent a resurgence of Daesh.”