US launches airstrikes around vital Iraq dam
The US military says it has launched airstrikes around Haditha dam in western Iraq, targeting Islamic State (IS) insurgents for the first time in the area as the group tries to capture the vital dam.
Officials said that while the Anbar province dam remains in control of the Iraqis, the US offensive is an effort to beat back militants who have been trying to take over key dams across the country.
Last month, IS fighters tried to capture the Haditha dam, which has six power generators located alongside Iraq’s second-largest reservoir.
Iraqi forces backed up by local Sunni tribes were able to hold them off.
The IS group was able to take control of the Mosul dam in northern Iraq last month but persistent US airstrikes dislodged the militants.
