The Syrian army has taken full control of the strategic city of Tabqa and its military airport on the Euphrates River, expanding a rapid offensive in Raqqa province, state media reported.Information Minister Hamza al-Mustafa said early on Sunday that government forces had secured Tabqa and the nearby Euphrates Dam, Syria’s largest, after expelling fighters linked to the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of listThe Syrian government also condemned the alleged execution of prisoners and detainees in Tabqa by the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and PKK-affiliated groups.The PKK has been labelled a “terrorist” group by Turkiye, the European Union and the United States.In a statement relayed by al-Mustafa, Damascus said the killings, “especially of civilians”, amounted to “a fully-fledged crime under the Geneva Conventions” and a clear violation of international humanitarian law.‘Rapid’ Syrian army takeoverReporting from Aleppo, Al Jazeera’s Zein Basravi says the pace of fighting in northern Syria has accelerated sharply, with Syrian government troops rapidly shifting operations towards Raqqa.“Rapid is the right word,” Basravi said, noting that clashes for neighbourhoods in Aleppo took place “less than two weeks ago”, while other SDF strongholds have returned to government control within the past 24 hours. “All of that feels like a history lesson overnight,” he added.Basravi said Syrian forces have now redirected their military focus from Aleppo province towards Raqqa, advancing into territory held by the SDF. “What we are seeing now is this rapid advance of Syrian troops” from border towns towards key population centres, he said. Advertisement He reported unconfirmed fighting inside Tabqa, where Syrian forces appear poised to launch clearing operations similar to those carried out …
