The push toward the Tishrin Dam came three days after U.S. aircraft ferried Syrian Kurdish fighters and allies behind IS lines to spearhead a major ground assault on the IS-held town of Tabqa where the dam is located. Cihan Sheikh Ehmed, the spokeswoman for the Syrian Democratic Forces, said the fighting is ongoing at the entrance of the dam, adding that there have been casualties among IS fighters. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said SDF fighters are marching slowly toward the buildings of the Tishrin Dam because of mines and explosives planted by IS. Using the Arabic acronym for the Islamic State group, he said: "Those who are truly fighting Daesh are the Syrian Army with the help of our allies from Russia and Iran." The U.S. has deployedmore than700 advisers, marines and Rangers to Syria to support fighters battling Islamic State militants.

Source: New Zealand Herald March 24, 2017 08:37 UTC