Kurds Seize Contested Mosul Dam Once Again, Ousting ISIS
Backing by escalating US airstrikes, the Kurdish Peshmerga once again attack the Mosul Dam, Iraq’s largest hydroelectric dam, and has reportedly regained primary control over the heavily contested site.
Kurdish media reported that the Peshmerga has control of “most of the dam,” with some officials putting the figure at 80%, with the offensive continuing. It is likely that the dam will continue to be fought over, as a hugely valuable asset for any side to control.
The Peshmerga offensive began yesterday with a push against villages in the immediate vicinity, and with US airstrikes hitting ISIS targets in the area, they finally got ahold of the dam once more.
Though Kurdish officials are touting the takeover as a major accomplishment, they had only lost the dam a little over a week ago to begin with, and it remains to be seen if they will actually be able to hold it when ISIS inevitably launches they own counter-counter-offensive.