US Air Strikes Help Iraq Repel IS Offensive on Mosul Dam
A handout picture made available by the Pentagon shows an arcraft launching from the flight deck of aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush at sea in the Gulf, 13 October 2014. Photo EPA/BGNES
Iraqi forces backed by US air strikes have repelled an offensive of Islamic State (IS) militants against key Mosul dam in northern Iraq, the Pentagon said on Wednesday.
The dam, which is the largest one in Iraq, could cause flooding of the city of Mosul and Iraqi capital Baghdad if destroyed. It is of crucial importance as a source of water and electricity supply for Mosul, a city of 1.7 million residents.
A Pentagon spokesman said aircraft from the US-led international coalition conducted 12 strikes against Islamic State targets near the dam on Tuesday and Wednesday, destroying positions and vehicles of the jihadist group that has seized territories in Iraq and Syria.
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