The Tabqa airbase was seized by IS militants in 2014 from the Syrian army. The jihadists then carried out one of their worst atrocities - a mass execution of captured soldiers.
Its capture by rebels was part of an offensive aimed at also taking control of the Taqba dam - the largest in Syria - as well as Tabqa town.
READ ALSO: Syria war: Damascus sees fierce clashes after rebel attack
Earlier, there was fears of serious flooding after IS warned that the Tabqa dam could collapse. However, the dam appears intact.
The US-led coalition denied the jihadists' claims that it had targeted the facility with airstrikes, leaving it dangerously vulnerable to failure.
READ ALSO: United States says it killed 11 al-Qaeda operatives in Syria air strikes
On Sunday there had been conflicting reports about damage to the dam - about 40km (25 miles) upstream of the Raqqa on the Euphrates river - with civilians reportedly fleeing to higher ground.
Although IS media channels warned the dam could burst, the militant group later reportedly sent cars around Raqqa with loudspeakers, telling people it was intact and they had no need to evacuate.
0 comments:
Post a Comment