How Syria’s Tishrin Dam has become a focal point of fighting between rebel groups

The France 24 Observers team was able to geolocate several videos of a protest at Tishrin Dam in northern Syria during which five pro-Kurdish civilians are said to have been killed by air strikes. © Observers

Several Syrian civilians were killed during a pro-Kurdish protest near Tishrin Dam on January 8. The dam, which sits on the Euphrates River in northern Syria and is an important source of water and power for local communities, has become a focal point of fighting between Kurdish rebel groups and Turkish-backed rebels from the Syrian National Army. Both sides are also carrying out the battle online, where they both have been claiming to control this strategic crossing site.

Tishrin Dam has become the focal point of fighting in recent days between different groups of Syrian rebels vying for power in northern Syria – the Turkish-backed Syrian National Army (SNA) and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), a Kurdish-led coalition of rebel forces including the well-known militia, the YPG (or People’s Defense Units).

In recent weeks, Tishrin Dam has become the focus of these two rival groups. Both have taken to social media to claim that they have control of this important and strategic piece of infrastructure.

A local media outlet that supports the SNA wrote on December 13 that this rebel group had taken control of the dam. They even shared a video that they said showed the dam under SNA control.

Our team reached out to the SNA’s interim government, but they did not respond to our questions.


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