SDF says 5 of their fighters, 52 SNA militias killed near key dam

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - After a day of intense clashes near Tishreen Dam on the Euphrates River, the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) said on Saturday that it lost five fighters while thwarting an attack by Syrian National Army (SNA) militia groups and claimed to have killed 52 from their enemy’s ranks.

“The number of the eliminated Turkish occupation mercenaries has risen to 52 during clashes in the vicinity of Tishreen Dam today. This includes several leaders,” the SDF’s Manbij Military Council announced in a statement.

“Furthermore, two armored vehicles and one tank belonging to the mercenaries were destroyed. Our forces also seized a significant quantity of weapons and ammunition,” it added.

The SNA has been attacking the SDF at Tishreen Dam for more than a week. The dam sits on the Euphrates River, upstream from scores of towns and villages as well as urban centers like Raqqa and downstream from the border town of Kobane. It provides electricity to much of northeast Syria (Rojava). The SDF took control of the facility from ISIS in 2015 with the help of American troops.

The SNA assault has been supported by Turkish drones, according to the Manbij Military Council who claimed victory at the end of the day.

“After more than 12 hours of fierce clashes, the mercenaries were forced to flee the area,” the statement said.

Earlier on Saturday the SDF announced that five of its fighters were killed in the clashes as Turkey “intensified its aerial bombardment and artillery shelling on the area.”

The conflict began late last month when Turkey-backed opposition militia groups launched an offensive against the SDF in the north of the country, taking control of Shahba and Manbij.

The United States brokered a temporary ceasefire between the warring parties, but the Turkish foreign ministry denied agreeing to a truce and said that Ankara does not negotiate with “terrorist organizations.”

Turkey considers the People’s Protection Units (YPG), the backbone of the SDF, as the Syrian front for the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) - designated as a terrorist group by Ankara.

SDF General Commander Mazloum Abdi has proposed a demilitarized zone in Kobane under US supervision, an initiative he said “aims to address Turkish security concerns and ensure the long-term stability of the region.”