Alliance troops capture strategic dam from Daesh

BEIRUT: A US-backed alliance of Syrian Kurds and Arab rebel groups, backed by US coalition planes, has captured a dam from Daesh, cutting a main supply route of the militants across the Euphrates, an alliance spokesman said.
Col. Talal Selo said the seizure of the dam helps isolate the terrorists’ strongholds in northern Aleppo from their territories east of the Euphrates river, where Raqqa city, their de facto capital, is located.
Col. Selo said the rapid advance by thousands of troops from the Democratic Forces of Syria had brought the dam, 22 km upstream from Raqqa, under their control on Saturday afternoon.
Since the US-backed alliance was formed last October, its fighters have opened several major offensives against Daesh with the ultimate goal of capturing Raqqa.
Selo said the intensive aerial bombing by a US-led coalition was instrumental in rapid advances since the campaign started four days ago.
“The coalition jets participated in the previous campaigns and this one and future ones too. We have a strategic partnership in which they provide the air cover and we provide the troops,” he said.
In Bangdad, meanwhile, Iraqi troops have pushed deeper into the heart of the last remaining district held by Daesh in Ramadi, despite being slowed by bombs and booby traps.
Recapturing Ramadi, which fell to the militants in May, would be one of the most important victories achieved by Iraq’s armed forces since Daesh swept across a third of the country in 2014.
Soldiers advanced in the Hoz neighborhood that houses the provincial government compound, the target of an attack that started on Tuesday, joint operations command spokesman Brig. Yahya Rasool said.
“The counter-terrorism forces are within 800 meters from the government complex,” advancing by about 1 km in the past day, Rasool said.