Tishrin Dam made great resistance in the history

The Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria issued a statement yesterday (May 5, 2025) regarding the Tishrin Dam, clarifying that the 118-day resistance had ended, thus announcing the conclusion of the popular protests against the dam.
The popular protests concluded, but the steadfastness, suffering, and influence of the masses remained present in the memory of peoples and the world. Their struggle against the occupation was immortalized in a resistance that lasted four consecutive months, marking its place in the annals of societal and historical memory.
Through this report, we sought to shed light on the events and incidents that took place in the region over the course of four months:
After the fall of the Ba'ath regime, the occupying Turkish state and its mercenaries escalated their attacks on areas of northeastern Syria, particularly targeting the city of Manbij and the Euphrates Canton.
On December 8, 2024, the occupying Turkish state and its mercenaries occupied the city of Manbij, and subsequently began intensifying their attacks with artillery, tanks, warplanes, drones, and missiles on both the Tishrin Dam and the Qarqozak Bridge, in an attempt to occupy the region.
Why these areas?
The Tishrin Dam and Qarqozak Bridge areas are of great economic, political, and military importance. The Qarqozak Bridge is a strategic point on the M4 international highway, which connects the two banks of the Euphrates River, making it a pivotal point for trade and transportation. The Tishrin Dam provides electricity to vast areas, including Manbij, the Euphrates Canton, parts of Aleppo city, and some areas of Tabqa. It also constitutes a major source of water.
In addition to this economic importance, the two areas have a strategic dimension related to the security of northeastern Syria. Experts believe that whoever controls them can extend their influence throughout the region.
In this context, the Turkish state has sought to exploit Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham's rise to power to expand its occupation by controlling the Tishrin Dam and Qarqozak Bridge and weakening the Autonomous Administration. Turkish officials have publicly expressed these intentions.
Massacres
The Turkish state and its mercenaries began committing horrific massacres in the city of Manbij and its surrounding villages, aiming to spread terror among the population and dismantle the cohesive social fabric that had been built up over years of coexistence. The attacks were not limited to Manbij, but extended to the areas of Tishrin Dam, Qarqozak Bridge, the city of Sirin, and the villages of Kobani.
Between December 5 and 10, 2024, Turkish forces and their mercenaries committed crimes that resulted in the deaths of 19 civilians in Manbij and its surrounding villages, in addition to wounding four others. The number of victims remains unknown.
From December 8, 2024, to February 9, 2025, 24 civilians were martyred in the villages of Ain Issa, along with 33 others in Kobani and Sirin. These included journalists, children, women, and ambulance drivers. Twelve people were injured as a result of the ongoing attacks.
Psychological and Media Warfare
The Turkish state, through its media institutions, sought to distort the image of the Region Protection Forces, describing them as "terrorists," in an attempt to justify its military intervention and call for the expulsion of Kurds and other groups from North and East Syria. This was intended to sow discord and internal division among the various components of society.
At the same time, it attempted to legitimize its occupation of the territories by using live broadcasts and various media outlets to create a negative psychological impact on society and promote its discourse at home and abroad.
Attempts to incite discord have already been detected internally, prompting the Internal Security Forces to take a series of precautionary measures to preserve civil peace. It imposed a curfew in some areas to limit the repercussions of media incitement and potential security breaches.
Relentless courage has been made by our brave fighters, MMC Manbij Military Council, SDF Syrian Democratic Forces, and YPJ Women's Protection Units in repelling air and ground Turkish occupation attacks, they manage to thwart the attacks successfully and all the mercenaries' infiltration attempts, in which photos were taken in proving the truth of their courage.
The People's Steadfastness for 118 Days
When the people witnessed the attacks, at a time when they were intensifying, and did not expect the people's determination, inspired by the July 19th Revolution, to triumph, Kurds, Arabs, Syriacs, Armenians, and Yazidis gathered at the Tishrin Dam on January 8 and announced the protest.
The protesters, braving the bitter cold and winter, participated in all national events, from February 15, the anniversary of the international conspiracy against Leader Abdullah Ocalan; March 8, International Women's Day; March 15, the anniversary of the Syrian Revolution; March 21 (Newroz), through Ramadan and International Workers' Day.
From January 8 to May 5, eight delegations from the Euphrates region, seven delegations from the cantons of Tabqa, Raqqa, and Deir ez-Zor, and 19 delegations from al-Jazira canton participated, in addition to a large number of displaced people from Afrin. These protests ended after 118 days of resistance, embodying the great popular steadfastness in the face of the occupation's attempts.
Songs and Clips
On February 9, Welat Studio and the Mesopotamian Movement for Democratic Culture and Art released a video clip for "Bendava me ye," which received widespread acclaim and interaction among the public.
A group of songs expressing the spirit of resistance were also released, including "Gujje Çemê Me," "Bendava Berxwedanê," "Li Binxetê," and "Bendava Lehengan." The video clips for these songs were filmed at the Tishrin Dam, giving them a symbolic dimension.
The Tishrin Dam Resistance continued its activities by holding cultural evenings, performing songs in both Kurdish and Arabic, and holding dabke sessions, combining the spirit of resistance and popular culture, embodying the unity of identity and the shared struggle of the people of North and East Syria.
The People Joined the General Mobilization
During the ongoing attacks, residents of their cities rose up in the spirit of the people's revolutionary war, protecting their neighborhoods and homes day and night, embodying their will to defend their land and community.
On December 1, 2024, the Autonomous Administration declared a general mobilization in support of the Syrian Democratic Forces. Residents in villages and cities quickly responded to the call and announced the formation of local battalions to protect their areas.
Members of the Autonomous Administration institutions in al-Jazira region, along with representatives of political parties, women's movements, and Kurdish, Syriac, and Arab civil society organizations, also participated in the general mobilization.
Residents demonstrated their rejection of the occupation by organizing public, cultural, and artistic events. Mothers helped prepare food for the fighters from their homes, emphasizing the cohesion of the internal front with the lines of resistance.
Martyrs and Wounded
As a result of the Turkish attacks and bombing on the Tishrin Dam, 26 people were killed, including journalists, politicians, administrators, artists, and athletes, and 240 civilians were injured.
"Free Media Reveals the Truth for Everyone"
Journalists covered events on the front lines. On December 19, 2024, journalists Jihan Belkin and Nazim Dashtan were killed as a result of a Turkish airstrike on the Sarrin-Tishrin Dam road.
On February 15, journalist Agid Roj (Shero Sido) was killed while covering the resistance at the Tishrin Dam, and dozens of others were injured.
Risk of Dam Collapse
The Tishrin Dam is the second largest dam in Syria after the Euphrates Dam. Its capacity is approximately 1.9 billion cubic meters of water, serving 5 million people and supplying 200,000 hectares of agricultural land.
On December 10, 2024, the Energy Authority of the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria announced that the dam was out of service due to Turkish airstrikes.
Electricity was cut off to more than 400,000 people in Kobani, Manbij, Sarrin, Jarniyah, and Aleppo, and water levels rose to dangerous levels.
Technical teams are working 24 hours a day and have begun opening the drainage gates to mitigate the risk. The dam contains six turbines for generating electricity, but only one of them is operating.
Diplomatic Efforts
DAA officials sought to halt the Turkish attacks through several meetings inside and outside Syria. These efforts resulted in the conclusion of an eight-point agreement on March 10 by the Commander-in-Chief of the Syrian Democratic Forces, Mazloum Abdi, with the president of the Syrian government in Damascus, Ahmed al-Sharaa. The agreement included respect for religious and ethnic pluralism, the safe return of displaced persons, combating hate speech, and establishing a comprehensive ceasefire.
Thanks to the historic resistance demonstrated by the fighters and popular protests, attacks on the Tishrin Dam and the Qarqozak Bridge were halted.
Yesterday (May 5), the Autonomous Administration in North and East Syria announced the end of the popular protests against the Tishrin Dam, declaring their victory at the dam and affirming their continued readiness to confront any new threats.
T/S
ANHA