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Subscribe to RSSBEIRUT — Syrian rebels scored one of their biggest strategic victories Monday since the country's crisis began two years ago, capturing the nation's largest dam and iconic industrial symbol of the Assad family's four-decade rule.
Rebels led by the al-Qaida-linked militant group Jabhat al-Nusra now control much of the water flow in the country's north and east, eliciting warnings from experts that any mistake in managing the dam may drown wide areas in Syria and Iraq.
A Syrian government official denied that the rebels captured the dam, saying "heavy clashes are taking place around it." The official spoke on condition of anonymity in line with regulations. But amateur video released by activists showed gunmen walking around the facility's operations rooms and employees apparently carrying on with their work as usual.
In the capital, Damascus, the rebels kept the battle going mostly in northeastern and southern neighborhoods as the fighting gets closer to the heart of President Bashar Assad's seat of power.
The capture of the al-Furat dam came after rebels seized two smaller dams on the Euphrates river, which flows from Turkey through Syria and into Iraq. Behind al-Furat dam lies Lake Assad, which at 247 square miles is the country's largest water reservoir.
The dam produces 880 megawatts of electricity, a small amount of the country's production. Syria's electricity production relies on plants powered by natural gas and fuel oil.
Still, the capture handed the rebels control over water and electricity supplies for both government-held areas and large swaths of land the opposition has captured over the past 22 months of fighting.
"This is the most important dam in Syria. It is a strategic dam, and Lake Assad is one of the largest artificial lakes in the region," said Rami Abdul-Rahman, who heads the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
"It supplies many areas around Syria with electricity," Abdul-Rahman said, citing the provinces of Raqqa, Hassaka and Aleppo in the north as well as Deir el-Zour in the east near the Iraqi border.
The dam, constructed in the late 1960s in cooperation with the Soviet Union, is located in a northeastern town once called Tabqa. After the dam was built, the town's name changed to Thawra, Arabic for revolution, to mark the March 8, 1963 coup that brought Assad's ruling Baath party to power.
Early Monday, when the rebels stormed the dam and the town, one of the first things they did was set ablaze a giant statue of the late President Hafez Assad, the current president's father.
"This is one of the biggest projects that have a moral value in Syria's history," said Dubai-based Syrian economist Samir Seifan. "It was the Syrian government's biggest project in the 20th century."
'A very sensitive plant'
Seifan said that the dam is "a very sensitive plant" and it is very important that technicians and experts keep it running as usual because any mistake could have dangerous consequences.
A car exploded at a crossing on Turkey's border with Syria, killing at least ten people, according to state-run Anadolu Agency. NBCNews.com's Gabe Gutierrez reports.
He added that any mistake could "release massive amounts of water that will drown wide areas including the city of Deir el-Zour as well as cities in Iraq." Seifan added that "any damage will have dangerous consequences on civilians. It supplies hundreds of thousands of hectares with water."
An amateur video released by activists showed rebels walking through large operations rooms as employees went on with their work as usual.
"The al-Furat dam is now in the hands of the Free Syrian Army heroes," says the narrator. "And these are the workers, continuing their work as usual."
The video appeared genuine and corresponded to other Associated Press reporting on the events depicted.
Abdul-Rahman, of the Observatory, said the rebels have told their fighters not to interfere with the work of the dam. He added that the gunmen will leave the dam for employees to run but will keep their checkpoints around the dam.
The rebels now control three dams on the Euphrates. In November, they captured the Tishrin Dam, near the northern town of Manbij. And last week, they took the Baath dam, close to al-Furat.
In Damascus, activists reported clashes and shelling mostly in the northeastern neighborhoods of Jobar and Qaboun as well as the southern parts of the city.
Over the past four days, the rebels brought their fight to within a mile of the heart of the capital, seizing army checkpoints and cutting a key highway.
Syrian TV showed footage from Abbasid Square, a landmark plaza in central Damascus, after sunset Monday to counter activists' claims of fighting only hundreds of yards away. The footage showed little traffic in the square, and it was dark.
Car bomb strikes
Meanwhile, the Observatory said members of Jabhat al-Nusra blew themselves up in two car bombs outside an intelligence office in the northeastern city of Shadadah, killing at least 14 security agents and wounding many people.
The Observatory said Shadadah has been witnessing heavy clashes between troops and rebels.
Jabhat al-Nusra, which led the fighting at the dam, has been named by the U.S. government as a terrorist organization. It has proved to be the most effective group among rebels fighting in Syria.
Also in northern Syria, a car bomb exploded at a border crossing with Turkey in Idlib province. Turkey's prime minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, said 13 people died in the blast. He didn't specifically say the explosion was caused by a bomb, possibly in deference to an ongoing investigation, but he left little doubt that authorities believed it was the work of assailants.
"The incident is very important in showing to what extent our stance on terror and our sensibility toward Syrian incidents is well-directed," Erdogan said.
The border area between the two countries has seen fierce fighting in the civil war. Tensions have also flared between the Syrian regime and Turkey in the past months after shells fired from Syria landed on the Turkish side.
As a result, Germany, the Netherlands and the United States decided to send two batteries of Patriot air defense missiles each to protect Turkey, their NATO ally.
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Another month, another chunk of territory conquered by the rebels.
Tick tock, Mister Assad.
Agreed.
However, the postwar implications of this are rather staggering. FSA representatives said from the start that they didn't want to have to rely on groups like Jabhat al-Nusra, but they would if they got no outside help. And now what are the implications for after Assad falls? An al Qaeda-affiliated group now controls access to one of the most vital landmarks in the entire region. What happens if they use the dam as a hostage to pressure the Syrian transitional government? More civil war? Foreign intervention?
Free Syrian democracy just lost a major bargaining chip in the political struggles to come.
Yeah; Go Al Qaeda!!!! Woot! Woot!
Support the Al Qaeda; F the troops. Right? Where am I?
It's all part of Obama's plan, just light the fire ,then get out of the way and let Al Qaeda move in. he knew that if the west did not help the Rebels, Al Qaeda would. Now we will have another Country run by Terrorist, Tunisia, Egypt , Libya and very soon, Syria. The plan is all coming together ,as planned. I know, all you Libbies out there think Im just some Conservative nut job. Well, I guess time will tell, lets just set back and watch the show people, our children will be fighting the war of all wars and it all started ,right here , right now. Enjoy the show!!!!!!!
Tick tock, Mister Assad indeed. But to replaced with...Al Qaeda? Seriously, one is just as bad as the other. I wish them both much success, and this can go on forever for all I care.
Glad I'm out of the military, I served with an ADA unit in Germany at one time. We thought we were going to get sucked in to the conflict between Isreal and Egypt because it was before Camp David Accord. Good luck to our troops still stuck over there
Rhetorical questions. If you had to ask them here, then you probably already know the answers.
"Rebels led by the al-Qaida-linked militant group Jabhat al-Nusra now control much of the water flow in the country's north and east, eliciting warnings from experts that any mistake in managing the dam may drown wide areas in Syria and Iraq."
Assad's father built the dam. Now al Qaida controls it!
al Qaida knows hating and killing. And you can bet that they can't manage the damage.
Magic 8-Ball, will Lake Assad have a name change soon? YES
"The incident is very important in showing to what extent our stance on terror and our sensibility toward Syrian incidents is well-directed . . . "
Yes, blowing oneself up certainly shows sensibility, if you're insane.
Yes after that "incident , Turkish PM, conference calls with UN, and actively seeks apology from "someone", to reaffirm, their stance on sensibility. UN ponders response, and template for Israel is not in play. In other news, Al Jabib Nausea claims responsibility for bombing intelligence offices. Asaad shots back, hey this was also a Research center, and we have no Intelligence, we source it to Iran. Arab league not sure who's right or wrong. Calls for Hookah session, and will have full report by March, April at the latest.
These seventh century Sunni Islamists including Erdogans can't handle Assad.
Just see the dramas for outsourcing dirty jobs in Syria and Iran to NATO forces.
There was rebellion of Shiites against the despotic and highly corrupt Sunni ruler of Bahrain.
Brave Sunni rulers of Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwaiti, UAE and other Arab League nations sent their forces and just quelled the Shiites rebellion in no time.
All of a sudden, these seventh century fountainheads of Sunni Islamic haters and killers, remembered “human rights violations” in Syria.
So the Sunni rulers of Arab League sent “human rights” group to Syria.
The head of the Saudi and their Arab League observers to Syria was a Sudanese Gen. The brave Gen was responsible for the genocides of at least 300000 Christians in Darfur!
Still House of Saud ruler and his 5000 princes and princesses and other Sunni rulers seventh century desert dances did not work.
Later they outsourced their dirty work to Turkey.
You see: Turkey is a strategic NATO ally and too much of Turkey’s seventh century Islamist Erdogan’s dances mean US, Britain and other NATO forces members have to pitch in.
What a way to outsource their dirty jobs to NATO forces just like Iraqi wars to save Kuwaiti, Saudi and other “oil rich” rulers!!!
Furious seventh century desert dances are on on Syria!
Sanctions on Iranian oil has permitted "strategic allies" oil rich Sunni rulers led by House of Saud and co to manipulate oil price from $40 in 2009 to more than $110 now.
It is tick, tick for for removing most dangerous WMDs in Iran! Only House of Saud and co have to give signals!
Can people recall pre-Iraq war dramas?
The State department and everyone else in Washington, better get their act together and make sure that this doesn't become another country were Al Qaeda, has a save heaven. Its time for us to get friendly with the pro democratic people of Syria, or we are in for one hell of a mess........
You bet!
""This is the most important dam in Syria. It is a strategic dam, and Lake Assad is one of the largest artificial lakes in the region," said Rami Abdul-Rahman, who heads the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights."
At the same time, see the irony!
The front cover, Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, for Sunni haters and killers like al Qaida, Muslim Bloodhounds, Salaffi assisting Sunni Syrian rebels is stationed in Britain.
What "human rights" do the al Qaida, MB, Salaffi, Wahhabi and their promoters, oil rich Sunni rulers of House of Saud, Qatar, Kuwait, UAE and other Sunni Arab League nations know?
It appears oil rich Sunni rulers, oil companies and their lobbyists control the foreign policies and actions of US, British, French, German, Netherlands and other nations!
Talk of big words like "human rights", "women rights", "right to freedom of religion" and so on are a big hoax before money and favors!
"Human rights" is just a cover phrase used in the sense of George Orwell. It is only used to justify actions that are motivated by entirely different reasons. Ask the Libyans if they are now better off than before the NATO intervention. Ask the humans in Mali. The action in Syria is part of a US attack on Iran. "Human rights" has nothing to do with it.
"Rebels led by the al-Qaida-linked militant group Jabhat al-Nusra now control much of the water flow in the country's north and east"
Sounds like Syria has a promising future. /sarcasm
Those who control the water...
And ....What is Islamist powers Wants ........ Is it.......Mount of wars dead .... And..... rivers of human blood .. is Islamization of life and society ......by the sword and the pen .....that is Islamic bombs to destroy Egypt and Syria , even water to be blood
At the same, one of the most cowards too!
These Islamists are very brave against non-Muslims in minority, females, minority sect Muslims and tribes and once in power sky is the limit for inventing enemies and start hating and killing.
Hope people can recall genocides of Christians in Lebanon.
Here all Muslim sect and tribes joined hands.
Assad's father invented Hezbollah and Hezbollah played a major role in the genocide.
Brave Hezbollah's God father, Assad and his Shiites are neck deep in trouble in Syria.
Where are brave Hezbollah? Are they hiding behind niqabs/burkhas of women or hiding in basements of their Shiites mosques?
Where are Iranian Ayotollahs', "monkey" Mahomouds? Can't they save their Assad?
These brave Islamists, better armed, can attack helpless in mobs!
What a religion and what a bunch of followers!
Damn!
Would not be the first time that 'terrorists' became freedom fighters after they won and had to figure out how to stop the revolution and start the governing. The British considered our patriots in New England and Jewish freedom fighters in the middle east to be terrorists at one time.
We should have been supporting Assad from the start.
Once again, Russia and China are being rational, while our eternal arrogance blinds us to the most obvious of realities.
Al-Quida .... what the heck is this all about??!!!
Dr. God and Mr. Devil couldn't be everywhere so he invented this Church.
I wonder if the al-Qaida Jabhat al-Nusra Electric Company of Greater Northern Syria will raise their rates?
Assad and all Shiites should join hands and eliminate all Sunni Islamists al Qaida, MB, Salaffi and other label ones.
Hezbollah, Shiites of Iraq and Iran should jump into the battles in Syria. They can't afford Assad to lose!
I wonder how much longer Assad has to live !