PHOTO: Peshmerga fighters head to the Mosul dam (AFP: Ahmad Al-Rubaye)
Kurdish
officials say they are in near complete control of Iraq's largest dam after
ousting Islamic State militants.
Peshmerga
fighters, backed by US air strikes, are pushing to reverse gains by IS
insurgents who have overrun much of the country's north.
Despite
earlier reports suggesting the dam was "liberated completely",
Kurdish forces are still discovering explosives, roadside bombs and suicide
bombers in the area which must be removed before the dam can be declared fully
secure.
The dam
provides electricity and irrigation water for farming to large areas of Iraq's
northern Nineveh province.
Its
recapture would mark the biggest major prize won back from the Islamic State
jihadists since they launched their sweeping offensive in northern Iraq in
early June.
The
jihadists launched a renewed drive in northern Iraq earlier this month, seizing
several towns and oilfields as well as Mosul Dam, possibly giving them the
ability to flood cities or cut off water and electricity supplies.
But the
Kurdish Peshmerga have clawed back some ground with support from US warplanes
and drones.
Questions
over extent of US involvement
US Central
Command released video showing an Islamic State truck and a US-made Humvee
being destroyed - just two of the 23 air strikes it has carried out in the
Mosul Dam area.
Centcom
said 14 strikes were carried out on Sunday, hitting 10 Islamic State armed
vehicles, seven Humvees, two armoured personnel carriers and one checkpoint.
The
Islamist militants seized Humvees and other US-made equipment during victories
against the Iraqi army earlier this year.
“VIDEO:
US air strike on Islamic State Humvee near Mosul Dam (Centcom/YouTube)”
"So
the Peshmerga had a strategic withdraw – armed up a little bit – now they have
some air support both from the Iraq air force and US Air Force and have made
real progress around that dam. It is a strategic asset and something that is
important to take before they moved into Mosul," Chairman of the House of
Intelligence Committee Mike Rogers said.
The
assistance of US warplanes has drawn some debate over the distinction between
these air strikes and president Barack Obama's message to the American people
that his forces would only be used to protect US personnel in Iraq and to
provide humanitarian relief.
The White
House says Mr Obama informed Congress he authorised the air strikes to help
retake control of the dam, which it said was consistent with his goal of
protecting US citizens in the country.
"The
failure of the Mosul Dam could threaten the lives of large numbers of
civilians, threaten US personnel and facilities - including the US embassy in
Baghdad - and prevent the Iraqi government from providing critical services to
the Iraqi populace," the White House said in a statement.
"These
operations are limited in their nature, duration, and scope and are being
undertaken in coordination with and at the request of the government of
Iraq."
An unnamed
US official is quoted in American media saying Islamic State is now "the
most potent force" of any terrorist group in the world.
Mr Rogers
says Islamic State and Al Qaeda are both competing to attack "the
West" and the "threat matrix is now wider and deeper" than
before 9/11.
"When
you get a terrorist organisation that holds land the size of Indiana, has
tanks, helicopters – they think it has as much as a billion dollars in both
precious metals, currency and by the way is selling oil on the black market to
the tune of about a $1 million a day according to some analytical product. That
means you have a seriously dangerous organisation," Mr Rogers said.
“We have to
realise that there was a German and an Australian suicide bomber the week of
July 24. We've seen the first American suicide bomber set himself off in Syria
in May. So this is a growing threat to America.” Congressman
Ron Johnson
Senate
Foreign Relations Committee member Republican Ron Johnson says America again
needs a 'Coalition of the Willing' to deal with Islamic State because of the
threat posed by foreigners that they have trained.
"We
have to realise that there was a German and an Australian suicide bomber the
week of July 24. We've seen the first American suicide bomber set himself off
in Syria in May. So this is a growing threat to America," Mr Johnson said.
Senior
Democrats say even though no-one wants boots on the ground, that may change.
"We
have to do everything we can to repel ISIS [Islamic State]," New York
congressman Eliot Engel said.
"I
don't think we have the luxury of putting our heads in the sand and saying well
it's over there and we don't have to do it.
"I
think what we're doing now is effective – we've got to do more of it. And
ultimately we may have some boots on the ground there. It's not something I
want, but you know what we have bad choices. The worst choice is to do
nothing."
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