Monday, August 18, 2014

Iraq crisis: Military claims control of Mosul dam

Mosul Dam (2007)
The BBC's Paul Wood: Too early to say dam has been recaptured

There are conflicting reports about whether Kurdish Peshmerga fighters and Iraqi troops have fully retaken Mosul dam from Islamic State (IS) militants.
Iraqi military spokesman Lt-Gen Qassim Atta told state TV the dam - Iraq's largest - had been "fully cleansed".
Troops had been backed by a joint air patrol, he added, without specifying if there had been any US air strikes.
However, journalists in the area said fighting was continuing and jihadists remained in control of the main gate.
An Islamic State statement also contradicted the military's claim, saying it had repelled Kurdish fighters and inflicted heavy losses.
line
At the scene: Paul Wood, BBC News, near the Mosul Dam
On the lake behind me, we have seen planes going over, explosions and plumes of smoke. Clearly there are still air strikes going on and this is a very large area, some of which is contested.
Earlier this morning we did go 10 miles down the road to the last Kurdish forces position. That was a grad multiple-launch rocket system firing at what they said were IS positions, another two miles down the road, and they pointed out a village that was in flames that had been set alight, they said, by the jihadis as they were retreating.
The Kurdish forces there seemed fairly relaxed - they had secured that position, the jihadis were running out of ammunition and they were retreating. Almost as soon as we'd had that explanation, there were two incoming mortar shells. We packed up as soon as we could and left.
What we have seen is evidence of a battle taking place over a very long and ragged front line.
line
Map of Mosul dam, Iraq

Smoke rises during air strikes on the dam - 18 August
Air strikes against IS positions appeared to continue on Monday

A Kurdish Peshmerga fighter prepares his weapon near the Mosul Dam at the town of Chamibarakat (17 August 2014)
Kurdish officials said Islamic State fighters had put up stiff resistance, slowing the Peshmerga's advance

Peshmerga fighters near the Mosul Dam (17 August 2014)
The US has said its deployment of air power in support of the Kurdish forces will be limited

US support 'limited'
The dam, captured by IS on 7 August, is of huge strategic significance.
Located on the River Tigris about 50km (30 miles) upstream from the city of Mosul, it controls the water and power supply to a large surrounding area in northern Iraq.
Earlier, Kurdish officials said the Peshmerga had recaptured most of the area around the dam, but still had more to do to achieve full control.
They said IS fighters had put up stiff resistance, and had planted many roadside bombs and other explosive devices, which their special forces were now trying to clear as they moved through the complex.
The BBC's Paul Wood, who is just behind the front line, says reports that the Kurds have taken the dam complex may be true, but the battle is still continuing over a very wide area.
In support of the Peshmerga operation, US bombers, fighter jets and unmanned drones carried out a total of 25 air strikes over the weekend, hitting more than 30 IS vehicles and a checkpoint, the Pentagon said.
The US government has said its deployment of air power in support of the Kurdish forces will be "limited in scope and duration".
A letter to Congress on Sunday, the White House stressed the vital nature of the Mosul dam, saying that if it were breached it could cause massive loss of civilian life, and even threaten the US embassy in Baghdad.
On Monday, the UK said its mission in Iraq would be stepped up to go beyond the provision of humanitarian aid.
Defence Secretary Michael Fallon said the mission could last for months and now involved the transport of ammunition and weapons from third countries to the Peshmerga.
Mr Fallon also said British warplanes were flying deeper into Iraq, to gather intelligence about IS positions.
The BBC's Jim Muir, who is in the northern city of Irbil, says Kurdish forces are planning to advance eastwards from the Mosul Dam to the plains of Nineveh and westwards towards Sinjar.
Thousands of members of the Yazidi religious minority were forced to flee Sinjar when jihadists overran the town two weeks ago, prompting an international aid operation and helping to trigger the US air strikes.
Map showing US air strikes in northern Iraq

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