Syrian Kurds clear mines after taking town, dam from IS

FILE — This April 30, 2017 photo provided by the Syria Democratic Forces (SDF), shows a fighter from the SDF carrying weapons as he looks toward the northern town of Tabqa, Syria. A top Syrian Kurdish official said Wednesday, May 10, 2017, that the U.S. decision to arm Kurdish fighters with heavier weapons will help legitimize the force, which is denounced as a terrorist organization by Turkey. The Trump administration announced Tuesday it will arm the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces “as necessary” to recapture the Islamic State stronghold of Raqqa. (Syrian Democratic Forces, via AP)

BEIRUT (AP) — Syrian Kurdish-led forces say they are carrying out mine-clearing operations at the country’s largest dam and the nearby town of Tabqa a day after seizing them from Islamic State militants.

The media office of the Syrian Democratic Forces said Thursday a special operation was underway to de-mine the dam and the surrounding area.

Concerns were raised earlier this year that the dam could be damaged in the fighting or degraded by lack of maintenance, or that the extremists might sabotage it to flood the surrounding areas.

The capture of Tabqa seven weeks after the launch of the SDF offensive, with help from the U.S.-led coalition, sets the stage for an advance on Raqqa, the de-facto capital of the extremists’ self-styled caliphate, some 25 miles (40 kilometers) to the east.