Obama defends move at Baghdad’s request
Amid reports that Iraqi and Kurdish forces have retaken control of the Mosul Dam from the ISIS militants with the help of US airstrikes on Sunday, President Barack Obama has strongly defended his authorisation for the “limited” action at the request of the Iraqi Government.
Media accounts from Iraq spoke of conflicting claims with the ISIS insisting that it was still in control of the entire dam on the Tigris River that it had captured two weeks ago, while the Iraqi and Kurdish forces reported having hoisted the Iraqi flag at the dam complex. The New York Times quoted a Kurdish commander as saying that ISIS fighters had abandoned the dam complex and retreated to a nearby front.
Wresting back the control of the dam would signify a big victory for the Iraqi and Kurdish forces who have been battling the broad advance of ISIS. Reports, however, suggested it may be a while before full control is established since the dam complex is heavily mined by the militants.
In recent days, fears have been rampant that any destruction of the dam by the militants could trigger an onrush of 60-ft wave of water that could wash away Mosul, a large city with a population of 1.5 million and even flood the distant Baghdad. In his communication to the US Congress, Obama justified the new wave of airstrikes, asserting: “The failure of the Mosul Dam could threaten the lives of large numbers of civilians, endanger US personnel and facilities, including the US Embassy in Baghdad, and prevent Iraq from providing critical services to the Iraqi populace.” The targeted operations are “in the national security and foreign policy interests of the United States” and are “consistent with the President’s directive that the US military protect US personnel and facilities in Iraq”, the White House said, stressing that the operation has been undertaken in coordination with the Iraqi Govt.
The Pentagon, meanwhile, said that US military forces conducted additional airstrikes on Sunday in Iraq, using fighter and attack aircraft to attack ISIl terrorists near Mosul Dam. “The strikes destroyed three ISIl armed vehicles, an ISIl vehicle-mounted anti-aircraft artillery gun, an ISIl checkpoint and an IED emplacement,” it said, adding the strikes were in addition to the 14 strikes in the same vicinity announced earlier on Sunday by US Central Command and the nine airstrikes conducted on Saturday. All aircraft exited the strike area safely, the Pentagon said.