The Battle for Mosul Dam was a battle that took place in August 2014 between militants of the

Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant An Islamic state is a State (polity), state that has a form of government based on sharia, Islamic law (sharia). As a term, it has been used to describe various historical Polity, polities and theories of governance in the Islamic world. As a t ...

(ISIL) and

Kurdish Kurdish may refer to: *Kurds or Kurdish people *Kurdish languages *Kurdish alphabets *Kurdistan, the land of the Kurdish people which includes: **Southern Kurdistan **Eastern Kurdistan **Northern Kurdistan **Western Kurdistan See also * Kurd (dis ...

Peshmerga The Peshmerga ( ku, پێشمەرگه, Pêşmerge, lit=those who face death) is the Kurdish military forces of the autonomous Kurdistan Region of Iraq. According to the Constitution of Iraq, the Peshmerga, along with their security subsidiaries, ...

forces, supported by Iraqi troops and U.S.-led Coalition airstrikes.

Background

Mosul Dam Mosul Dam ( ar, سد الموصل), formerly known as Saddam Dam (), is the largest dam in Iraq. It is located on the Tigris river in the western governorate of Nineveh, upstream of the city of Mosul. The dam serves to generate hydroelectricity ...

was captured by ISIL militants on August 7, 2014, after Kurdish forces retreated from the area, following a series of battles in the region. Some American officials described the fall of the dam as a grave concern, because it could release a wave of water if it was destroyed, threatening towns and cities downstream. Following these recent developments, Kurdish forces, Iraqi forces, and the

U.S. Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Signal ...

launched a counter-offensive to retake the dam. Also of ongoing grave concern was/is the fact that Mosul Dam (formerly Saddam Dam) was constructed on evaporite rocks of the Miocene Fars (Fatha) Formation, which are water-soluble. As a result, the reservoir behind the dam was not filled to capacity. A continued regimen of pumping concrete grout into potential leaks meant that a long term interruption of remedial works could end in a reduction of structural integrity and disaster.

Events

On August 16, the

launched air strikes on

ISIL An Islamic state is a state that has a form of government based on Islamic law (sharia). As a term, it has been used to describe various historical polities and theories of governance in the Islamic world. As a translation of the Arabic term ...

positions near the dam, destroying some of their equipment. Kurdish forces also launched attacks against ISIL on the same day, shelling their positions near the dam, and opening up the possibility for a ground attack. A Kurdish commander, Major General Abdelrahman Korini, told AFP that Peshmerga forces had captured the eastern side of the dam and were "still advancing."

Rudaw Rudaw is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Ciechocin, within Golub-Dobrzyń County, Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship, in north-central Poland. It lies south-west of Golub-Dobrzyń and east of Toruń. References Rudaw Rud ...

, a Kurdish news organization, said the airstrikes appeared to be the "heaviest U.S. bombing of militant positions since the start of airstrikes" against ISIL last week. At least 11 ISIL fighters were killed by the airstrikes. On August 17, the fighting continued. Kurdish officials said that peshmerga forces captured three towns near the dam: Tel Skuf, Sharafiya and Batnaya. The U.S.-led coalition had until that day conducted nine airstrikes and destroyed or damaged four

armoured personnel carriers An armoured personnel carrier (APC) is a broad type of armoured military vehicle designed to transport personnel and equipment in combat zones. Since World War I, APCs have become a very common piece of military equipment around the world. Acc ...

, seven armed vehicles, two Humvees and an armoured vehicle. ISIL militants tried to slow down Kurdish forces with explosive devices, including homemade bombs and

land mines A land mine is an explosive device concealed under or on the ground and designed to destroy or disable enemy targets, ranging from combatants to vehicles and tanks, as they pass over or near it. Such a device is typically detonated automatic ...

. On August 18, Iraqi and Kurdish forces said that they had taken full control of the dam. US President

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the U ...

also confirmed that the Mosul Dam was under complete Kurdish and Iraqi control. He also said that the move to recapture the Mosul Dam was a "major step forward" in the long-term strategy to defeat the militants. Journalists in the area reported that the fighting had not completely ended. On August 19, the battle ended completely, with a Kurdish-Iraqi victory. BBC reporter Jim Muir, who has visited the dam, said it was "back in safe hands" and appeared intact.

References

{{coord, 36.6303, N, 42.8231, E, source:wikidata-and-enwiki-cat-tree_region:IQ, display=title Conflicts in 2014 2014 in Iraqi Kurdistan Battles involving the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant in Iraqi Kurdistan History of Mosul Military operations of the Iraqi Civil War in 2014 Military operations of the War in Iraq (2013–2017) involving the United States Military operations of the War in Iraq (2013–2017) involving the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant Military operations of the War in Iraq (2013–2017) involving the Peshmerga August 2014 events in Iraq

Mosul_Dam Mosul Dam ( ar, سد الموصل), formerly known as Saddam Dam (), is the largest dam in Iraq. It is located on the Tigris river in the western governorate of Nineveh, upstream of the city of Mosul. The dam serves to generate hydroelectricity ...