Guns silent as engineers work to ease pressure on Syrian dam

People stand at the northern part of the Tabqa Dam on the Euphrates River, Syria. REUTERS/Rodi Said

TABQA DAM, Syria (Reuters) - Syrian engineers worked on Tuesday to open spillways and ease pressure on a major dam across the Euphrates River during a pause in a U.S.-backed assault to capture it from Islamic State (IS) militants, a Reuters witness said.

The Tabqa Dam is a key strategic target in the military campaign to isolate and capture the eastern Syrian city of Raqqa, Islamic State's biggest urban stronghold.