Syrian opposition forces banish PKK terrorists from strategic dam

The Syrian National Army (SNA) has expelled the PKK/YPG terrorist group from the Tishrin Dam, one of the most significant hydro-infrastructure systems on the Euphrates River. 

The event is of key significance as the structure is the largest and most critical facility liberated so far in the course of the "Operation Dawn of Freedom", Caliber.Az reports citing Turkish media. 

The Tishrin Dam, located south of Manbij district, was captured by the PKK/YPG with US support in December 2015. The dam was the first point occupied by the terrorist group west of the Euphrates, with the US establishing a base at the dam in January 2016. 

The YPG, the Syrian fraction of the PKK, has long sought to establish a terrorist corridor along Türkiye’s border, as reported by the Anadolu agency. The PKK/YPG, recognized as a terrorist organization by Ankara and most Western governments, has been seeking to exploit the country's instability and power vacuum ever since the recent ousting of the longstanding al-Assad ruling family.  

Approximately 70% of Syria’s electricity needs are met by the Tishrin, Tabqa, and Baath dams. The Tishrin Dam plays a vital role in providing water and electricity, particularly to provinces in the eastern part of the country.

By Nazrin Sadigova