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| This dam war! |
Details have emerged of how the Isis fighters in Tabqa, who were also holding the Tabqa Dam, were finally defeated after a battle lasting over a month.
A statement issued by the US Central Command explains that around 70 remaining ISIS fighters, who had planted explosive devices around the dam, agreed to surrender the dam in exchange for safe passage to ISIS held territory (at least that is the most likely conclusion, as the wording of the statement is not particularly clear):
"In Tabqah, the SDF's increased pressure on ISIS from each flank allowed it to accelerate the pace of the fight, clear the final neighborhoods of the city, and isolate Tabqah Dam. Approximately 70 ISIS fighters conceded to the SDF's terms, which included the dismantling of IEDs surrounding the dam, the surrender of all ISIS heavy weapons, and the forced withdrawal of all remaining fighters from Tabqah City."
This clearly implies that the ISIS troops were allowed to keep non-heavy weapons, such as small arms, while "forced withdrawal" clearly suggests that they were allowed to return to ISIS controlled territory, perhaps with an armed SDF escort providing the "force."
The statement also mentioned some surprising details about the aftermath of the agreement:
"The SDF accepted ISIS's surrender of the city to protect innocent civilians and to protect the Tabqah dam infrastructure which hundreds of thousands of Syrians rely on for water, agriculture, and electricity. The Coalition tracked fleeing fighters and targeted those that could be safely hit without harming civilians."
This is an odd paragraph, as it implies that ISIS fighters, withdrawing under agreement from Tabqa, were them subsequently attacked breaking the truce. The reference to those ISIS fighters who "could be safely hit without harming civilians" also implies that the ISIS fighters were using human shields as they withdrew from Tabqa.
