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A10 WORLD NEWS
Saturday 13 May 2017
Kurdish-led forces say they will advance on IS capital

lems in their own country,” Tabqa,” he said, “The SDF
he said, in reference to Tur- accepted IS’s surrender of
key. the city to protect innocent
The SDF also announced it civilians and to protect the
would hand over the town Tabqa dam infrastructure.”
to civilian administrators. He added that the U.S.-led
Earlier this week, the Trump coalition “tracked fleeing
administration said it would fighters and targeted those
arm the Kurdish elements that could be safely hit
of the SDF. Ankara said the without harming civilians.”
plan was “unacceptable” Regarding the U.S. decision
and a threat to its national to arm Kurdish elements of
security. the SDF, Davis said the arm-
Turkey says the fighters are ing has not yet begun. He
an extension of the out- also said that once it starts
lawed Kurdistan Workers’ it will not be publicly ac-
Party, or PKK. knowledged by the U.S.
President Recep Tayyip Meanwhile, more than
Erdogan has promised to 1,200 residents and opposi-
convince Trump to reverse tion fighters trapped in the
his administration’s decision Syrian capital Damascus
This photo shows fighters from the Kurdish-led Syria Democratic Forces, patrolling on a street in in a meeting between the left their neighborhoods for
Tabqa, northern Syria. Syrian Kurdish-led forces say they are carrying out mine-clearing opera- two leaders at the White rebel-held Idlib province
tions at the country’s largest dam and the nearby town of Tabqa a day after seizing them from House next week. Friday as part of a deal to
Islamic State militants. Also Friday, a Pentagon return the last neighbor-
(Hawar News Agency, via AP)
spokesman, Navy Capt. hoods of the capital to
By PHILIP ISSA advance left no significant equip the SDF with weap- Jeff Davis, said that al- government control.
Associated Press IS-held urban settlements ons was a snub to Turkey, though the U.S. has no in- Syrian state media said
BEIRUT (AP) — A Kurdish-led between SDF lines and which doesn’t want the dication of structural prob- 718 fighters and 528 others
lems with the Tabqa dam, were bussed out of the Bar-
Syrian force backed by the Raqqa, about 25 miles (40 Syrian Kurdish-led force it is sending a “dam as- zeh and Tishreen neighbor-
U.S. expects to advance on kilometers) to the east. to take Raqqa and has sessment team” to assess hoods in the second round
the Islamic State group’s An SDF commander, iden- offered its own troops in- its condition “and ensure of departures from the area
de facto capital of Raqqa tified only as Abdelqader, stead. Ankara is also en- it continues operating.” since it came under gov-
in northern Syria this sum- declined to specify dates raged by U.S. plans to arm He said he had no details ernment siege last month.
mer, a commander said at a news conference, cit- the Syrian Kurds, who they about the team’s makeup. Tens of thousands of peo-
Friday, following a decision ing tactical reasons. He consider terrorists. Davis said that about 70 ple living in besieged areas
by the Trump administra- said the battle for Raqqa But the SDF made clear it is IS fighters “conceded to around Damascus, Homs
tion to supply the force with would begin once the capable enough with the SDF terms, which included and Aleppo — Syria’s larg-
heavier weapons. group receives the weap- forces and support it al- dismantling improvised est city — have surrendered
The Syrian Democratic ons from the U.S. military, ready has. explosive devices around under similar agreements
Forces have been buoyed adding that he expects the “We do not want any other the dam, surrendering all in recent months, agree-
by this week’s capture of fighters to storm the city in forces to participate with of its heavy weapons and ing to relocate in what crit-
the key town of Tabqa the coming weeks. us,” said Abdelqader. forcing the withdrawal of ics have said amounts to
and its nearby dam. The The announcement to “They can solve their prob- all remaining fighters from forced displacement.q

Candidates trade blows as Iran’s presidential election nears

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iranian being in the pocket of the landmark nuclear accord His first vice president, Es- gains for the public has
President Hassan Rouhani paramilitary Revolutionary that Rouhani’s government haq Jahangiri, also a candi- brought an opening that his
offered a full-throated de- Guard. In response, Raisi reached with the United date, asked people to vote main rivals, hard-liner Raisi
fense Friday of his opening and others levied corrup- States and other world to protect Iran, “We have and Tehran mayor Moham-
the country to the world tion allegations against powers. to protect Iran. We should mad Bagher Qalibaf, have
through the nuclear deal Rouhani ranging from re- “I’m ready to, over the next remove war from the re- sought to exploit.
as his opponents sought ceiving highly subsidized four years, lift the rest of gion. Warmongers have Corruption is a major con-
to sully his reputation in the public properties to block- the sanctions against the reached power in various cern among Iranians and
last televised debate be- ing a probe into corruption Iranian nation, like the nu- places in the world.” in Friday’s debate Qalibaf
fore the presidential elec- charges against his close clear sanctions that I lifted The moderate Rouhani is sought to pin it on Rouhani.
tion. relatives. over the past 4 years, with believed to be the front- Qalibaf said that Rouhani
Rouhani insinuated the The exchanges marked a strength.” Rouhani said in runner in May 19 election and Jahangiri received
top hard-line candidate harsher turn after previous Friday’s debate, focusing but the failure of the nucle- “highly subsidized” proper-
he faces, Ebrahim Raisi, of debates focused on the on the nuclear deal. ar deal to bring economic ties from the government.q