Syrian War News Updates -- January 21, 2016

Wall Street Journal: Islamic State Uses Syria’s Biggest Dam as Refuge and Potential Weapon

Militants hiding high-value prisoners and sheltering senior officials at Taqba Dam in conviction U.S. won’t dare unleash deluge by bombing it

Islamic State militants are using Syria’s largest dam as a fulcrum of power, hiding high-value prisoners and sheltering senior officials there in the conviction the U.S. won’t bomb it for fear of unleashing a giant flood, three people familiar with the matter said.

If the dam is ruptured, it would flood large parts of Iraq and “mean that there’s no electricity for all of eastern Syria,” said Ariel Ahram, an associate professor at Virginia Tech who has visited Middle Eastern dams for research on security and development. “That’s an ecological disaster for Iraq and a humanitarian catastrophe for Syria.”

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Syrian War News Updates -- January 21, 2016

The Syrian regime takes strategic heights in Homs -- Al Bawaba
Street Warfare: Syrian Army Obliterates Jihadists in City of Aleppo -- Sputnik
Syrian Army Airstrikes Cut Daesh Raqqa-Aleppo Supply Route -- Sputnik
Fighting between Syrian army, ISIS kills scores: activists -- Daily Star
Syria's Deir Ezzor residents fear IS group 'massacre' -- France 24
'IS' frees hundreds of civilians in Syria -- DW
Run for the Hills: Syrian Army Kills Dozens of Terrorists in Major Advance -- Sputnik
Contradictions in Syrian Conflict Seen in Battle for Aleppo Countryside -- VOA
Qaeda leader in Syria town assassinated: monitor -- AFP
Islamist militants in Aleppo, Syria, got reinforcements from Turkey - Russian Foreign Ministry -- RT
Turkish PM says Russia trying to undermine Syria negotiations -- Today's Zaman
Ankara Accuses Russia of Attacking Moderate Opposition in Syria -- Sputnik
Turkish PM says no role for 'terrorist groups' in Syria talks -- Reuters
US in favor of Turkish training of Syrian rebels -- Daily Sabah
U.S. offers Turkey technology to block Islamic State at Syria border -- Reuters
Hollande says coalition will intensify Syria campaign -- RFE
Effects of UK intervention in Syria branded 'minimal' -- Flight Global
Secret Syria network warns of air raids over WhatsApp -- Times of Israel
Secret Syria network saves lives with air raid warnings -- AFP
Women’s Roles in Deir Ezzor during the Syrian Revolution -- Fikram, Atlantic Council
Refugees in Latakia Recalling Civil War Atrocities in Home City of Aleppo -- Sputnik
Syria's White Helmets Save Civilians, Soldiers and Rebels Alike -- Newsweek
Hundreds of Syrian Families Return to Homes Near Damascus -- AP
Syria Starving: A Family’s Fight for Survival in Madaya -- ABC News
World has done nothing for Syria: Saudi Prince Turki -- CNBC
Every day, conditions get a little worse for Syrians -- Martin Jay, National
Syrian endgame could begin with Aleppo -- Al-Monitor