THE Syrian civil war intensified further yesterday, with Turkish, al-Qaida and US forces all launching aggressive actions.

The US airdropped Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) militia fighters south of the Euphrates river in an audacious attempt to capture the south side of the Tabqa hydroelectric dam.

Pentagon spokesman Eric Pohan said the deployment was intended to cut the road from the Isis stronghold of Raqqa — the target of the Kurdish-dominated SDF’s offensive — to the east of Aleppo province.