© REUTERS/ Rodi Said
On April 29, the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), supported by the US-led coalition, captured Al-Nababla and Al-Zahra districts in the southern part of Tabqa. The advance followed the liberation of Al-Iza’a and Al-Wahab districts. 27 ISIS terrorists were killed in the clashes.
Click to see the full-size map
During its advance in the Ayed al-Saghir district in western Tabqa, the SDF discovered a 15-cell prison belonging to ISIS. According to the SDF, ISIS had evacuated the prison before the attack began and transferred prisoners to the ISIS-held part of Tabqa and the Tabqa dam.
US-led coalition warplanes have continued pounding ISIS positions in the province of Raqqa.
According to local sources, a family of five people were killed after coalition forces shelled their house in al-Wahab district in the town of Tabqa.
From its side, ISIS said that ISIS members had damaged a SDF battle tank in the village of Al-Hekma north of Raqqa. ISIS also announced the killing of two Kurdish fighters after targeting their vehicle with an IED south of the town of Qahtaniya northeast of Hasaka.
Meanwile the SDF captured several other quarters of Tabqah. They are close to having taken the whole city, while a few outlying quarters and a bit of countryside (and part of the dam) remain in the hands of IS.
It is hard to predict how long it will take to clear IS from what remains, days at the most I think.
This will give the SDF the ultimate defensive position were Turkey to invade Syria. Forget SDF handing anything south of the Euphrates over to anyone other then a symphatetic RMC and with SDF forces remaining in military control.
When the threat of Turkey has definitively gone, then negotiation will start with maybe Assad, maybe the replacement of Assad. Without significant concessions, central government of Syria will b=never rule again in Tabqah.
Concessions like abortion rights with any luck. I doubt US or Russia will let Turkey get past the M4 or near the Euphates. The good news it it doesn’t look from this like YPG has gone North to fight Turkey because if they had they would certainly go to the defensive in Tabqa.
I just checked Wikipedia’s map of the war and it shows the SDF engaged with ISIS at the south end of the dam and in the city (icons).
Yesterday SDF advanced much faster, maybe a sign of collapse of IS frontlines.
I wonder if the added acrimony of Erdogan is related to this advance. An end to the fighting around Tabqa will release several thousand SDF fighter, either to a Raqqah front or, let’s hope not, a turkish front.
Yep. Non-stop combat takes quite a toll in deaths, injuries and munitions. The SDF can send in replacements and more supplies whereas ISIS cannot so is forced to fall back when units no longer have sufficient manpower or bullets to defend their sector. ISIS may have plenty of bullets and arms at scattered depots yet due to combat losses, no longer have a sufficient number of rear support troops that hustle ammo and arms to various front line positions since many are going on one-way trips as replacements along with some supplies.
I doubt if the SDF forces in the Tabqa Theater of Operations worry about Erdogan since they know that the Russians and Americans won’t tolerate any invasion by Turkish forces nor much more of his random shelling and bombing along the border since those have been taxing the Russians and American’s patience. The US is now actively patrolling the border while the Russians decided to stick a thumb in Tayyip’s eye by building a military base near Azaz.
Once the SDF has control of Tabqa, I would think their next logical move would be to send units south to run ISIS out of the oil and gas fields which should prompt ISIS to withdraw from their positions along the Ithriya Highway. That’ll make it easier for the SAA to regain control of that vital stretch of road, those fields and full.access to the dam. ISIS had to keep it’s Syrian government operators and maintenance workers on the job to keep it running and so will the SDF. It was built by Russia so might as well let Assad have full access to it so the Syrians and Russians can truck in the men, parts and equipment to do needed repairs. I figure the SDF will continue to keep units there to keep ISIS in Eastern Aleppo Province in check while they start advancing east again along both banks of the river with another advance heading SE of Tabqa Airbase to clear out ISIS from the villages south of Mansurah which will block another critical ISIS supply route to the south. That should leave ISIS with only one good road into the interior that’s way down at Maadan which can be easily blocked by the SDF crossing the river further north where ISIS has fewer defensive positions. ISIS has written off Raqqa some time ago so have been moving men and supplies to their new “capital” at Mayadin, south of Deir Azzor. To me it seems that the SDF is putting a slow squeeze on ISIS so they have time to extract fighters while leaving behind those that are hell-bent on becoming martyrs as rearguards in charge of second rate troops that were left behind. Then the SDF advances to kill off the brave ones first which generally causes the rest to flee to rear positions where the process is repeated.
SDF as a nascent US denominated State is the biggest threat to the Region, Turkey is wanting to join World Organisations and will respond to economic pressure, Kurds are simply jew surrogate lice, speaking of economics, my read is, the reason a Service Economy is more valid than a goods and primary products producing economy is because its citizens do little work, and procure their needs by tribute demanded, don’t fret about Russia being unwilling to fight they will have to fight or lose their shirt and then fight naked, Russia has got nothing to offer economically they gave it all away supporting the imbeciles of Orthodoxoscity
And you mean to say………………what??????
dutchnational you have been written into the Heavenly Book as an observant being that Allah is still unsure about, you really need to express your thoughts more fully so He can determine if He likes you or not. Also it has been written that face book is a waste of megabits or maybe I’m wasting away, that hasn’t been written yet, but selling grossly devalued imagery as intellectual content won’t inspire sacrifice by intellectuals who do lead soldiers to their graves, Kurds are tying themsrlves to a FB account of their existence, they will say to Allah from their death bed we lived on virtual reality and were superseded by other clowns, but that could equally be me, if Telephonic Holy Ghostism isn’t real. And furthermore if it is real and is not accepted as such, alas ! then only me and my Salafist Brothers in Religion will be real, everyone else will be virtually only the slaves of Fate who was already anointed to be the God of compaction. What happened was that, there were not enough Angeles produced by our Universal Creation (probably there never ever have been), so our compacted state could-not be added to “life creation life” because so much more maintenance is required to be there in, the Angels do this maintenance, (Higgs Boson, least we disintegrate), when they die in Heaven and memory (the only real spirit) takes over, after that the Newly Created Fate that we also live with gives them another spot to live up to in their Eternal stay. Also there is one other reason, in the beginning there were two Fates in the one place, but I fear your attention span is waning, please ask again.
Well, thank you, I think or rather, hope.
Everything ok with you?
Never ask a question if you don’t want an answer, so if you are “hoping” for something you don’t want and ask for it, all I can do is relate a condition that might be applicable to you, ADHD I’m writing about this condition on Quora today because of an invitation I received, I chose this question to answer because it put me in mind of a gentleman, although he wasn’t very gentlemanly toward me, nevertheless, Allah found he could be merciful towards him and he was the only person I’ve ever known that died in his sleep, sitting up, just taking a nap. Anyhow the advice he often gave out was a perfect match to your mind set, he would often say I tells everyone who they should vote for then I secretly “hopes” (like you) that they doesn’t win, implying he has a schadenfreude affliction to everyone else except himself. See *Terry Loder* on Quora for this exciting answer.
Thank you. I’m excited enough already.
SDF is not the threat , its more a treat. I think the biggest threat to the region and the world is Religion. Groups like Daesh and Al Qaida that kill people because they dont believe the stories they read in some dumb book that someone made up and wrote down a long time ago.
Tell me about it. Thanks. I made my gambit in a speech supporting Stalin 1968, since the I watched with repulsive indignation Religion destroy the Soviet Union after Communism in China adopted the Market System of Casino Economics, the SU was he only chance we had because their vested interests were with primary production, tell me what is there in our existential reality that isn’t made up ?. Your either making up or getting buried. I’m a Prophet so I am licensed to make stuff up.
Hans Christian Andersen is also licensed to make stuff up, he also writes about stuff that never happened and are totaly unbelieveble
I was never allowed to read anything when I might have appreciated anything other than breaking away from the recriminations that Climate Change, Population Ceiling, end of the Techno Industrial Age and the Culmination of Capitalism will bring, (I always warned and acted to oppose them), I can’t lose because of them 4 God Sends, He was only testing the jews what made the Christians join them in perfidy was caused by my incomprehension syndrome induced by Christians. But your righ anybody can have a go at it, so long as the legal rights of “makers up of stuff” is observed, that’s where my license comes from, my Gov didn’t do that, my being tortured continually and humiliated, my children abused , my pets just put down for amusement and my being ignored was funded by telling lies about the future to cause acceptance in the present, nobody believed it would catch up with them while I was still alive, that’s why my Salafist Brothers say, – you can’t kill a Prophet till it’s too late.
Please keep your awnser shorter, i dont need your life story, i am not your psycologist.
Messiah’s are in short supply, why only yesterday vthecTurkmen were approaching me with an invitation, they are the same Religion after all, just say the word band I’m gone.
I believe God created Man who returned the favor.
I also don’t think much about religions other than most people could use some.
Do you think much at all? Modern men are not used to thinking generally. However you seem to be yet another success story of the Elders of Zion. It makes me wonder how much you think about yourself? Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. 20 For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: 21 Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. 22 Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, 23 And changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and four-footed beasts, and creeping things. 24 Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves: 25 Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshiped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen Rom 1:20–25
I never was able comprehend abstract religious teachings so just followed the 10 Commandments and The Golden Rule. I never worry about what’s in store for me after passing away either since I have better things to do, such as dealing with the present and helping others out when I can. I was a painting and repair contractor for 30 years until I came down with a chronic case of mixed-mold Mycotoxicosis in late 2007. It’s some nasty stuff you can get filled in about at moldsurvivor.com. In a nutshell, it basically makes you feel, look and act like a zombie incapable of doing much more than exist day to day. There’s no medical cure for that crud so one has to wait as their immune system gradually develops a resistance to those internal infections. It’s taken me nearly 10 years to recover from that crap without any income coming in nor family able to help me out. My “friends” abandoned me since they thought I either became a drug addict or lost my mind and am now taking strong head meds to remain on an even keel. I’ve depleted my savings and retirement funds during the first 9 nine years to meet expenses, child support and outside assistance for my mother whom I had moved in with me in 2004 due to advancing Altzhiemers until she passed at 98 in 2011. Then I started selling off my personal property for the last year while trying to sell my house to eliminate that debt and get some cash for starting over at the age of 62. Doing that doesn’t bother me a bit since I’m delighted to have my health back and am still in excellent physical condition. Had develop grey hair, put on lots of weight plus had muscle loss due to atrophy during those 9 years. Once I began recovering, the grey went away, lost 160 pounds without dieting nor working up a sweat and regained muscle mass by doing regular work again out in the yard with some light weightlifting along the way. Now I’m back having the same physique as I did when 25 and just as limber with normal blood pressure along with no aches and pains. Now I still have some symptoms which may be with me for the rest of my life with those being periods of short attention span, inability to comprehend what I’m reading or doing and short term memory loss. Those have becoming less of a problem as the months go by so eventually may be able to make a complete recovery. Now I do think that some angels have been watching over me during my life since I’ve avoided multiple close calls that could’ve ended it early and have been blessed with good fortune when I needed it the most. My mother wasn’t difficult to take care of, managed to sell enough of my junk to avoid foreclosure and then found a buyer for the house when I ran out of stuff desired by the general public, leaving me with the items I didn’t mind keeping. Also became good friends with a comely single lady that’s renting a house across the street with her two kids that are working and attending college. The oldest is fixing to move out so we’ve been discussing me moving in once he’s gone which will happen when my house sale is finalized in a few months. We don’t have anything romantic going on but looks like it’s heading in that direction even though she’s 20 years younger. Think she likes me because I have “Golden Hands” (ability to build and repair all kinds of stuff) plus don’t have any bad habits nor mid-life crisis to deal with anymore. She does like motorcycles and was sad to see me sell a BMW that I had owned since new in 1973. Told her that I may replace later on with a vintage Harley Duo-Glide or Electra-Glide dresser since those have become fairly cheap in price since there’s so many newer ones available nowadays. That made her happy since her father owned one and took her riding out around the countryside when growing up.
And exactly who created God?, that question is as old as the Vendidad, now recent new evidence has emerged from the Siberian “Denisova Cave” regarding a common ancestor to Modern Man and Neanderthal supporting the Vendidad narrative as the oldest compared to the Right Veda that is logical to assume was the oldest, my point is if you read the Vendidad which I haven’t, I rely on other people, you will see that the question, who made God? was answered the same as it is now, except for my answer of course, people then and now draw a distinction between Created and Not Created, that’s it problem solved. My claim to fame is that the telepathic capacity that I brought to Earth means idealism has a new dimension in terms of physical entity coming from a source derived from mechanism, our genus homeo bipassed the Neanderthal in the genius of Denisova, but both are connected to connected to Homeo Habulus and Homeo Erectus, Theologists can’t answer why God deviated, and then went back to include Neanderthal, the reason is of course is that Fate is the Father of God and the mechanism that impounded the singular subject (Fate) to be plural while sustaining the singular to be the object (God) of the now plural subject, the mechanism “reversed” the order. That’s where an eye for an eye come from.
The biggest thereat is the abortion ban. Hopefully YPG can lift such bans from Kabul to Luanda! But not Turkey, which doesn’t have one to lift.
Threat to what eugenics through population control? Imagine if your mom and dad decided to abort you while you where in your mom’s womb would you get a chance to talk all this nonsense about it on this blog. Of cause you wouldn’t? If you continue talking like that you might convince me about validity of your ideas at least in your case.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7XRUEuVP2qE
So glad Bill mentioned overpopulation, but vaccination, other than early HPV, is a dubious and roundabout way to do it. Abortion rights, under YPJ or Turkish control, are far more direct.
When you are an US ally you are always part of a problem rather than a solution.
The chinese word for problem is also their word for possibilities.
In principle the emancipation of kurds is a problem for all their colonising countries, which like to have internal colonies.
The emancipation of Kurds is more important then the problems of colonizers. It is like the abolition of slavery. That created also problems for their (ex) owners.
“The emancipation of Kurds is more important” to whom and why? Maybe to your queen Beatrice illuminated by the light of the torch bearer shining from the city on seven hills. If Kurds only knew how expendable they have been in the eyes of their slave masters they would have done differently. The regime change in Syria with all the cost in human lives and material damage has been price payed for “the emancipation of Kurds” so far and that’s just the beginning of tribulation called ” a project for 21 centuary” aka “clash of civilizations”. SDF,, ISIS, Al Qaed are all Vatican’s and US pawns and instruments in their takeover of the World.