SDF ‘plays with fire’ by delaying Tishrin Dam’s handover to Syrian government
Tishrin Dam in Syria's Manbij province on Jan. 26, 2021. (AFP Photo)
The Tishrin Dam, located 90 kilometers east of Aleppo on the Euphrates River, is one of Syria’s largest hydroelectric facilities with a capacity of 630 megawatts (MWs). Constructed between 1991 and 1999, the dam has played a pivotal role in regional power generation and irrigation.
The dam has been under the occupation of the PKK/YPG terrorist group since 2015. Approximately 70% of Syria’s electricity needs are met from the Tishrin, Tabqa and Baath dams. PKK/YPG has been designated as a terrorist organization by Türkiye, the U.S. and the European Union.
The PKK’s Syrian offshoot, the YPG, plays a dominant role in the SDF—a group long supported by Washington in the fight against Daesh in Syria.
The PKK has waged a four-decade terrorism campaign against Türkiye, claiming the lives of more than 40,000 people, including women and children.
The terrorist organization tried all kinds of methods to hold the dam. In recent months, after Assad’s fall, the group did bring civilians to the Tishrin Dam in buses and shuttles and used civilians in the region as human shields. That action of the group faced a strong reaction from Türkiye, leading the Turkish Defense Ministry to strongly condemn the use of civilians as human shields by PKK/YPG/SDF terrorists around the Tishrin Dam.
“This act of employing civilians, including civilian-clothed militant groups, is a blatant violation of human rights and an affront to international law,” the ministry’s sources emphasized.
They also criticized the groups for prioritizing their interests over the safety of civilians, noting, “Such actions exemplify the moral collapse and desperation of terrorist organizations.”
Control of the dam has changed hands multiple times since the start of the Syrian Civil War. It was captured by opposition forces in 2012, fell to the Daesh terrorist organization in 2014, and was subsequently captured and has been occupied by the U.S.-backed SDF since 2015.
Clashes and control shifts following Assad’s fall
Following the collapse of the Assad regime on Dec. 8, 2024, the Tishrin Dam became a flashpoint in the power vacuum that followed. Turkish-backed Syrian National Army (SNA), which liberated Manbij from terrorist control on Dec. 9, 2024, during Operation Dawn of Freedom, engaged in clashes with PKK/YPG terrorists near the Tishrin Dam in southeastern Manbij.
SNA forces launched multiple offensives to seize back control of the dam. There were reports of SNA capturing the dam, but due to its difficult-to-hold location, it ended up in the terrorist group’s hands.
March agreement to transfer control of Tishrin Dam
On March 10, 2025, Ferhat Abdi Sahin, code-named Mazlum Kobani, or also known as Mazloum Abdi, one of the ringleaders of the PYD/YPG and the so-called commander of the SDF and interim Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa, signed an eight-point agreement that also includes the Tishrin Dam.
Under the agreement, security responsibilities would be transferred to Syrian government forces, while SDF-led teams would remain engaged in the location.
By April 13, 2025, Syrian state media SANA and pro-YPG outlets reported that the SDF had begun withdrawing but the footages so far shows no withdrawal from site, recently the Ferhat Abdi Sahin visited the dam under U.S. protection.
According to SANA, a delegation from the Syrian Ministry of Defense, led by commander of the 60th Division, recently visited the Tishrin Dam surroundings to review the security and military situation in the area.
According to the report, Syrian ministry will introduce engineering teams specialized in demining operations with the support of Türkiye, in preparation for securing the entire area and preparing it for the return of the displaced people.
PKK/YPG terrorists have targeted areas around the dam. Their long-range assaults with heavy weaponry have displaced around 50,000 civilians in 10 villages on the dam’s western bank.
Delays and reports of SDF stalling the process
Despite the formal agreement, reports suggest the SDF terrorist group delayed the full handover. In recent days the Syrian army and security forces entered the Tishrin Dam in Aleppo countryside to enforce security, as part of the implementation of the agreement between Damascus and the SDF, the front of the PKK/YPG terrorist organization.
“The Syrian Arab Army forces and public security forces started entering the Tishreen Dam in Aleppo eastern countryside to impose security and stability in the area,” SANA news agency reported.
Joint security reports
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported that both SDF units and Syrian government troops will jointly secure the facility.
A monitoring committee was also reportedly established to oversee technical repairs.
عدسة #المرصد_السوري ترصد سد #تشرين الاستراتيجي في ريف #حلبhttps://t.co/K8PUjrJmeH pic.twitter.com/8ez104FjxU
— المرصد السوري لحقوق الإنسان (@syriahr) April 21, 2025
Since December 2024, attacks by PKK/YPG elements near the dam have displaced thousands of civilians and damaged critical infrastructure.
“We are monitoring the field implementation of the agreement regarding the withdrawal of the terrorist organization SDG from Aleppo and Tishrin Dam,” the ministry stated in response to recent reports.
