A US-backed Syrian alliance of Kurdish and Arab militias has taken a military airport in northern Syria held by the self-styled 'Islamic State' (IS). The move opens the path for an assault on the IS stronghold of Raqqa.
Image: Getty Images/AFP
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The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) - an alliance of Kurdish and Arab militias supported by a US-led international coalition - said it had seized the air base on Sunday.
"The Syrian Democratic Forces have full control of Tabqa military airport and operations to clear and demine are under way in order to secure the airport fully," spokesman Talal Sello told the French news agency AFP.
The SDF plans to use the air-base capture as a landing pad to launch an assault on the city of Raqqa, aiming to capture the IS stronghold. The extremist group has controlled Raqqa since 2014, and it's considered to be IS militants' de-facto capital.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said coalition airstrikes have killed 89 civilians in Raqqa province in the past week, including 35 in a school in the village of Mansoura. The coalition has said it is investigating.
The US has provided substantial air and ground support to the SDF, which is closing in on Raqqa.
SDF spokesperson Talal Silo said its fighters had seized "60 to 70 percent" of the airport but were still engaged in clashes with the militants inside the air base and on its outskirts.
IS captured the Tabqa Dam - aka the Euphrates Dam, which is about 40 km (25 miles) upstream from Raqqa and the air base - at the height of its expansion in Syria and Iraq in 2014.
The SDF has driven IS from large parts of northern Syria and fights separately from other rebel groups seeking to oust President Bashar al-Assad.
Danger of collapse
The UN warned this year of flooding in Syria from the dam, which is at risk from high water levels, deliberate sabotage by IS and further damage from air strikes.
The director of the Syrian government's General Authority of Euphrates Dam, which formerly operated the huge project, blamed US strikes in the last two days for disrupting internal control systems and putting the dam out of service.
"Before the latest strikes by the Americans, the dam was working. Two days ago, the dam was functioning normally," Nejm Saleh told Reuters. "God forbid ... there could be collapses or big failures that could lead to flooding," Saleh said. IS meanwhile said that Tabqa dam had been put out of service and all flood gates were closed.
Image: picture-alliance/AA/S. M. Leyla
SDF spokesperson Silo denied that coalition strikes hit the structure of the dam and said the air drop landing last week was conducted to prevent any damage to the main structure by engaging the militants away from the site.
"The capture of the dam is being conducted slowly and carefully, and this is why the liberation of the dam needs more time," Silo said, adding that militants dug inside the dam in the belief that they would not be hit for fear of damaging the structure.
More than 320,000 people have been killed in Syria since the country's conflict began in March 2011 with anti-government protests.
jbh/gsw (AFP, AP, Reuters)
Please have a look at the following picture gallery from December 14, 2016.
What is the 'Islamic State'?
IS has gone from an obscure al-Qaida splinter group to a global phenomenon. DW takes a look at the defining aspects of the jihadi group — from its "caliphate" to its tactics.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/Al-Furqan
Where did it come from?
The "Islamic State" (IS) — also known as ISIL, ISIS and Daesh — is an al-Qaida splinter group with a militant Sunni Islamist ideology. It emerged in the aftermath of the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003 and is led by Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. Their goal is to create a worldwide "caliphate." It gained worldwide notoriety in 2014 after a blitzkrieg military campaign that resulted in the capture of Mosul.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo
Where does it operate?
IS is believed to be operational in more than a dozen countries across the world. It controls territories in Iraq and Syria. However, the group has lost much of the territory it controlled in Iraq and Syria at the height of its expansion in 2014.
Who is fighting back?
The US leads an international coalition of more than 50 countries, including several Arab nations. Russia, Iran and its Lebanese Shiite ally Hezbollah, which all support the Syrian government, also fight IS. Regional forces such as the Kurdish peshmerga (above) and US-backed Syrian Kurdish fighters, fight IS on the ground. The Iraqi army and militia have pushed IS from large parts of the country.
Image: picture-alliance/abaca/H. Huseyin
How does it fund itself?
One of IS' main sources of income has been oil and gas. At one point, it controlled an estimated one-third of Syria's oil production. However, US-led airstrikes deliberately targeted oil resources and the Syrian government as well as US-backed Syrian Kurdish fighters have retaken most oil wells. Other means of income include taxes, ransom, selling looted antiquities and extortion.
Image: Getty Images/J. Moore
Where does it carry out attacks?
IS has claimed responsibility for numerous terrorist attacks across the globe. The militant group has targeted capitals across the EU, including Berlin, Brussels and Paris. IS leaders have encouraged so-called "lone wolf" attacks, whereby individuals who support IS carry out terrorist acts without the direct involvement of the group.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/M. Spingler
What other tactics does it use?
The group uses various tactics to expand its power. IS fighters have looted and destroyed historical artifacts in Syria and Iraq in an attempt at "cultural cleansing." The group has also enslaved thousands of women from religious minority groups, including Yazidis. IS also uses a sophisticated social network to distribute propaganda and recruit sympathizers.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/J. Eid
How has it impacted the region?
IS has further exacerbated the ongoing Syrian conflict. Millions of Syrians and Iraqis have fled their homes, many traveling to Europe in pursuit of refuge. Although it has lost all of its strongholds, the militant group has left extraordinary destruction in its wake. Areas affected by the militant group's rule will likely take years to rebuild.
