The Tishrin Dam offensive, or Southern Kobanî offensive, was a military operation in December 2015 in the northeastern

Aleppo Governorate Aleppo Governorate ( / ALA-LC: ''Muḥāfaẓat Ḥalab'' ) is one of the fourteen Governorates of Syria, governorates of Syria. It is the most populous governorate in Syria with a population of more than 4,867,000 (2011 Est.), almost 23% of the t ...

during the Syrian Civil War, conducted by the

Syrian Democratic Forces The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) is a Kurds in Syria, Kurdish-led coalition of U.S.-backed Left-wing politics, left-wing ethnic militias and rebel groups, and serves as the official military wing of the Democratic Autonomous Administration ...

(SDF) to capture the strategic

Tishrin Dam The Tishrin Dam (; ) is a dam on the Euphrates river, located east of Aleppo in Aleppo Governorate, Syria. The dam is high, and has 6 water turbines capable of producing 630 MW. Construction took place between 1991 and 1999. Rescue excavat ...

and the southern countryside of the self-declared Kobanî Canton from the

Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant The Islamic State (IS), also known as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and Daesh, is a transnational Salafi jihadist organization and unrecognized quasi-state. IS occupied signi ...

(ISIL). The Combined Joint Task Force – Operation Inherent Resolve supported the SDF offensive with over 26 airstrikes.

Background

The offensive

On 23 December, the joint command of the Syrian Democratic Forces officially launched the offensive, with the goal to "clear all areas in southern Kobanî Canton that have been occupied by elements of the terrorist group known as Daesh (ISIS)". On 24 December, the SDF captured the villages of Sahrij, Al Jabal, Abaydad, Al Mansia, Miruha, Sajjadi, Dandoshan, Birdan and over fifteen farmlands south of the town of Sarrin, which was captured by the YPG and Free Syrian Army earlier in the same year, during the Battle of Sarrin. 14 ISIL members and 2 SDF fighters were killed during the battles. On 25 December, the alliance of Kurdish, Arab and Assyrian militias seized the villages of Bojakh, Hafyan, Munsiye, Sofayte, Saqit, Dahr Al–Faraj and the surrounding farms from ISIL. During a nighttime raid, 12 ISIL members were killed. At that point, the SDF had managed to capture 16 km along the east bank of the

Euphrates The Euphrates ( ; see #Etymology, below) is the longest and one of the most historically important rivers of West Asia. Tigris–Euphrates river system, Together with the Tigris, it is one of the two defining rivers of Mesopotamia (). Originati ...

. On 26 December, the Syrian Democratic Forces captured the

and the villages of Bir Shumal, Bir Bagar, Abdilkiye, Tal Banat, Khishkhash, Al-Wesi and Miwelih. The SDF managed to kill five ISIL fighters and captured another eight alive. A total of 50 villages were seized from ISIL during the first four days of the offensive. On 27 December, the SDF advanced on the western bank of the

. They captured the towns of Tishrin and Sakaniya. At least 15 members of ISIL were killed during the operation. On the same day ISIL executed four young men in Manbij who were accused of being members of the SDF.Four young men executed in main Manbij square
/ref> On 30 December, the general command of the Syrian Democratic Forces declared the end of the operation to liberate the southern areas of the Kobanî Canton. The SDF captured over 100 villages and hamlets, the Tishrin Dam, an area of ~640 km², and killed 219 ISIL fighters, according to a balance sheet released by the SDF. An additional 100 ISIL fighters were killed by Coalition airstrikes during the offensive. Seven SDF members and two members of the police force Asayish died during the operation.

Background

The offensive

See also

References

Further reading