As operations against ISIS accelerate, total takeover of Tabqa and Raqqa is only days away. We put together this article on the significance of Tabqa, one of the most strategic locations in the area, for all forces.
TABQA CITY
Tabqa is a city in midnorthern Syria by the Euphrates River. It is 50 km from Raqqa and 115 km from Aleppo.
Population in the city is estimated at around 80 thousand. But with the start of the Syrian civil war, there have been people migrating both to and from the city.
Tabqa fell under the invasion of Syrian National Coalition (SNC) allied gangs between 2011 and 2014. ISIS gangs pushed SNC gangs out and invaded the city themselves.
TABQA DAM
The Tabqa Dam is in midnorthern Syria, on the Euphrates River and 50 km to the west of Raqqa. With its 60 m height and 4,5 km length, it is the largest dam in Syria. Tabqa Dam was completed in 1973 with aid procured from the Soviet Union.
When the construction began in 1968, in an international effort, intense archaeological digs were carried out in areas around Tabqa city that would be affected by the waters of the dam reservoir. According to some Syrian sources, many historical artifacts unearthed during those digs were removed and transported to safety.
Lake Assad, the reservoir of the dam, is the largest body of water in Syria. The hydroelectric power plant constructed with the dam was completed in 1977. This allowed electricity to reach the most remote villages in Al-Jazeera, to the east of the Euphrates.
The Tabqa Dam normally provides electricity for big cities like Hama, Humus, Aleppo and Damascus, but as the dam is under ISIS invasion, that is not currently the case.
TABQA’S STRUCTURE
The locals were eliminated by the Mongolian invasion in the city, and later Bedouin tribes and Chechen settlements were seen in the area.
The tribal presence and connections are very strong in the city. Like Raqqa, Tabqa is also comprised of mostly Sunni Arab population. This Sunni Arab population also has ties to the Sunni Arab tribes in western Iraq.
During the SNC invasion between 2011 and 2014 and since ISIS invasion in 2014, as attacks and massacres targeting Kurds increased in Shehba and Rojava, Tabqa was made into the epicenter of attacks and massacres.
TABQA’S SIGNIFICANCE
In the past, Tabqa had a strategic location connecting trade routes between Syria’s big cities and Iraq’s western provinces like Mosul and Baghdad. With the construction of the dam, Tabqa grew even more significant.
The biggest change Tabqa witnessed happened around 1968. A giant hydroelectric dam was built in the city near the Euphrates River. Large scale agriculture projects lured tens of thousands of Syrians who were looking for new opportunities to the city.
Of course this changed the demographics in the city and the area in time, but the city always kept its essence. It is located on the intersection of the main roads that go into all of Syria’s cities and to all corners. Over Tabqa, one can cross easily to Raqqa, Deir ez-Zor and Iraq. One of the biggest reasons for the ISIS gangs invading this city is this location. So much so that ISIS gangs have declared this city a “Madina”.
TABQA’S ECONOMIC SIGNIFICANCE
Tabqa is located on the main crossing between the most important and fundamental trade centers of the Middle East, Aleppo, Urfa, Antep, Baghdad, Mosul and Tahran.
For ISIS gangs who were barreling towards destruction after their defeat in Kobanê, Tabqa means the difference between existence and annihilation. As it is known, ISIS gangs consider Raqqa as their heart. The most strategic location to feed Raqqa is undoubtedly the Tabqa city and dam.
ISIS gangs make most of their income through the trade and crude oil sales they developed over this line. Of course a strong financial presence is a determining factor in the field.
Tabqa is also significant for it is one of the routes ISIS gangs sell crude oil to the world through Syria, Iraq and Turkey and where they make the most profit from oil. ISIS gangs developed trade over this route and by the aid of the Turkish state and the KDP, they have been selling Iraq’s and Syria’s crude oil to Turkey and the rest of the world over Southern Kurdistan.
That is why, it can be said that ISIS gangs procured weapons easily due to the money source here.
