Page 2 - ARUBA TODAY 25
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A2 UP FRONT
Saturday 25 March 2017
US-backed Syrian fighters reach IS-held dam in north Syria
BASSEM MROUE airstrikes.
JAMEY KEATEN After losing wide areas
Associated Press they once held in Syria, IS
BEIRUT (AP) — U.S.-backed extremists now are mostly
Syrian fighters reached a present in the northern
major dam held by the Is- province of Raqqa and
lamic State group in north- the eastern region of Deir
ern Syria Friday as Syria’s el-Zour that borders Iraq.
U.N. ambassador said Cihan Sheikh Ehmed, the
hundreds of American per- spokeswoman for the Syri-
sonnel are “invading my an Democratic Forces, said
country,” insisting that any the fighting is ongoing at
effort to liberate the city the entrance of the dam,
of Raqqa — the de facto adding that there have
capital of the Islamic State been casualties among IS
group — should be done in fighters. She gave no fur-
coordination with the Da- ther details.
mascus government. The Britain-based Syrian
The push toward the Tishrin Observatory for Human
Dam came three days af- Rights said SDF fighters are
ter U.S. aircraft ferried Syr- marching slowly toward
ian Kurdish fighters and This frame grab shows fighters from the Syrian Democratic forces standing near U.S military vehi- the buildings of the Tishrin
allies behind IS lines to cles on the outskirts of the Syrian town, Manbij. U.S.-backed Syrian fighters reached a major dam Dam because of mines
spearhead a major ground held by the Islamic State group in northern Syria Friday as Syria’s U.N. ambassador said hundreds and explosives planted by
assault on the IS-held town of American personnel are “invading my country.” IS. To the east of Raqqa,
of Tabqa where the dam is (Arab 24 network, via AP) SDF fighters clashed with IS
gunmen inside the village
located. Tabqa is west of of Karama, according to
the city of Raqqa. the Observatory and Mo-
IS has been pounded in hammed Khedhr of Sound
Syria in recent months with and Picture Organization,
attacks against the ex- which documents IS viola-
tremists from three fronts, tions. Karama is about 15
the U.S.-backed fighters, kilometers (10 miles) east of
Turkish troops and their al- Raqqa, making it a strate-
lies near the border with gic village to capture.
Turkey, and government The attacks on the Tabqa
forces in the northern prov- and Karama were ongoing
ince of Aleppo. under the cover of airstrikes
The government-con- by the U.S.-led coalition,
trolled Syrian Central Mili- according to the activists.
tary Media said govern- SDF fighters have been on
ment forces captured late the offensive since Novem-
Friday the town of Deir Ha- ber under the cover of air-
fer, the last IS stronghold strikes by the U.S.-led coali-
in Aleppo province, after tion with the aim of even-
troops stormed the town tually surrounding Raqqa
under the cover of Russian and storming it.q
Tillerson to attend NATO summit
he originally was planning to skip
JOSH LEDERMAN NATO’s chief had said the
Associated Press alliance was working to
WASHINGTON (AP) — Sec- accommodate Tillerson’s
retary of State Rex Tillerson schedule.
will attend a major NATO The State Department now
foreign ministers meeting says Tillerson will travel to
after all. NATO in Brussels next Fri-
Tillerson had alarmed al- day.
lies when word emerged The brief stop will come
he was skipping the semi- after Tillerson travels to An-
annual meeting in Brussels, kara, Turkey, to meet with
but did plan to visit Russia President Recep Tayyip
in May. The State Depart- Erdogan. That meeting
ment had said Tillerson had comes as the U.S. and Tur-
a scheduling conflict and key are sharply divided
had proposed alterna- about how to fight the Is-
tive dates to the 28-mem- lamic State group in north-
ber bloc for their meeting. ern Syria.q
