“There is cooperation in this case because the dam belongs to all Syrians,” said Hamid al-Faraj, co-chair of the legislative branch of Tabqa’s civil administration that is affiliated with the self-autonomous authority of Rojava.
In early 2014, the Euphrates dam fell to ISIS and became a stronghold for the militants. On May 10, 2017, Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) announced they had full control of the dam. But during the military offensive, the dam sustained heavy damage from coalition airstrikes.
The agreement to cooperate over the dam may open the door to deals on other matters.
Damascus has largely left the Kurdish-led administration of Rojava alone during the seven years of conflict in the country. Government officials have at times said they are open to discussions with the Kurdish parties about the future of Rojava, but the leadership have also said they will assert their control over the entire country, by force if necessary.
“Dialogue was and remains our best choice to resolve all issues,” Elham Ahmed, co-chair of the Rojava authority, told Hawar news in comments published Friday.
She qualified that, “when we come under attack, we defended ourselves.”
The Kurdish-led SDF control about a quarter of the country.
Locals in Tabqa complain that while life is better now than it was under ISIS, the situation still has not returned to the pre-war state. They hope that cooperation over operation of the dam will mean better water and electricity services.
