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At least 280 people have been killed in recent weeks as the bitter struggle for control over northeast Syria's strategic Tishrin Dam continues.

Fierce fighting between the Turkish-backed Syrian National Army (SNA) and Kurdish-dominated Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) has raged as the SNA attempts to seize control of the Tishrin Dam and Qaraquzaq Bridge on the Euphrates River.

The dam, situated in northern Syria's Manbij countryside in Aleppo province, is one of the most important dams in Syria, and many view it as the key to controlling the Syrian region east of the Euphrates.

While the SNA has employed drones and heavy artillery in a fierce attempt to dislodge the SDF, they have so far failed to achieve this.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported that it had documented 280 deaths including 25 civilians, among whom were five women and two children.

Some 199 fighters from factions affiliated with the SNA and 56 fighters from the SDF and its affiliated military formations had also been killed.

The Tishrin Dam is considered the second most important of the dams on the Euphrates River, which also includes the Euphrates Dam in the Tabqa area of western Raqqa's countryside, and the Baath Dam, located about 30km east of the Euphrates Dam.

The Tishrin Dam "is one of Syria's vital infrastructure sites and has multifaceted importance,"  said economist Yasser Hussein, adding that it was one of the most significant sources of hydroelectric power generation in Syria.

The SNA and its affiliated factions have long sought to take control of this dam as it is considered the gateway to what is commonly referred to as the regions "east of the Euphrates", which have been under the control of the SDF since mid-2016 when they expelled Islamic State (IS) group militants from the area.

The dam is located approximately 115 kilometres ( around 71 miles) from Aleppo city, 30 kilometres (19 miles) from Manbij city, and 80 kilometres (50 miles) from the Turkish border.

It became operational in 1999, with its primary purpose being electricity generation.  

In December, the SNA managed to wrest control of Manbij, to the west of the Euphrates River and most of its countryside from the SDF, which is attempting to maintain its hold on the areas it still controls in northeast Syria.

Hussein explained that those in the surrounding areas depended on the dam for their energy and water needs, meaning that control of the dam would often correlate with wielding "political and economic influence in the region".

This article is based on an article which appeared in our Arabic edition by Mohammed Amin on 6 January 2025. To read the original article click