Islamic State fighters tell residents to flee Syria's Raqqa
Militants from the Islamic State group are telling local Syrian residents living near the Euphrates river in Raqqa to evacuate their homes, claiming an imminent collapse of Tishrin Dam.
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There is speculation over what caused a sudden rise in water [Getty]
The Islamic State group has warned Syria's Raqqa residents living near the Tishrin Dam on the Euphrates river to evacuate their homes "immediately" over fears of its imminent collapse.
Informed sources have told The New Arab that engineers and specialists have arrived from Kurdish-controlled areas to inspect the state of the dam.
Located about 60 miles east of the northern Syrian city of Aleppo, the Tishrin Dam is currently controlled by the US-backed Democratic Forces of Syria, a coalition between Kurdish and local Arab fighters.
The area was a crucial Islamic State supply line, connecting the town of Manbej in Aleppo and the city of Raqqa.
It was seized from the extremist group's control three days ago by coalition fighters.
Local media reported the sudden rise in water in recent days, with conflicting accounts surrounding the change.
Some have accused Turkey of pumping more water through the dam. Last year, Ankara was accused of cutting water supply from the Euphrates river, which threatened to put the dam out of service.
Other potential explanations suggest that the dam operators fled following the Kurdish victory, leading to disruptions in the water flow.
Additionally there has been some speculation that IS had booby-trapped the dam prior to their withdrawal.
Informed sources have told The New Arab that engineers and specialists have arrived from Kurdish-controlled areas to inspect the state of the dam.
Located about 60 miles east of the northern Syrian city of Aleppo, the Tishrin Dam is currently controlled by the US-backed Democratic Forces of Syria, a coalition between Kurdish and local Arab fighters.
The area was a crucial Islamic State supply line, connecting the town of Manbej in Aleppo and the city of Raqqa.
It was seized from the extremist group's control three days ago by coalition fighters.
Local media reported the sudden rise in water in recent days, with conflicting accounts surrounding the change.
Some have accused Turkey of pumping more water through the dam. Last year, Ankara was accused of cutting water supply from the Euphrates river, which threatened to put the dam out of service.
Other potential explanations suggest that the dam operators fled following the Kurdish victory, leading to disruptions in the water flow.
Additionally there has been some speculation that IS had booby-trapped the dam prior to their withdrawal.
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