Iraqi and Kurdish forces recapture Mosul dam

World Today

Iraqi and Kurdish forces recaptured Iraq’s largest dam from Islamic militants Monday following dozens of U.S. airstrikes, U. S. President Barack Obama said, in the first major defeat for the extremists since they swept across the country this summer.

CCTV America’s Jessica Stone reports.

Iraqi and Kurdish forces recapture Mosul dam, Obama addresses

Iraqi and Kurdish forces recaptured Iraq's largest dam from Islamic militants Monday following dozens of U.S. airstrikes, President Barack Obama said, in the first major defeat for the extremists since they swept across the country this summer.

More Iraq coverage on CCTV America.

Militants from the Islamic State group had seized the Mosul Dam on Aug. 7, giving them access and control of enormous power and water reserves and threatening to deny those resources to much of Iraq.

Iraqi forces suffered a string of humiliating defeats at the hands of the Islamic State as the extremists took over large parts of northern and western Iraq and sent religious minorities fleeing.

The militants’ battlefield victories brought U.S. forces back into the conflict for the first time since it withdrew its troops in 2011 and reflected the growing international concern about the Sunni extremist group. Washington launched attacks from its warplanes and drones on Aug. 8.

Pope Francis endorsed the use of force to stop the Islamic militants from attacking religious minorities in Iraq, although he said the international community — not just one country — should decide how to intervene.

Obama called recapturing the dam by Iraqi and Kurdish forces a “major step forward” in the battle against Islamic State militants.

Had the dam been breached, it could have had catastrophic consequences and endangered U.S. Embassy personnel in Baghdad, Obama said at the White House. He said the U.S. is urgently providing arms and assistance to Iraqi security forces as well as Kurdish fighters fighting the extremists.

For more on the Iraq conflict, retired U.S. Army Major Mike Lyons joined CCTV America. He is also a senior fellow with the Truman National Security Project.

Retired US Army Major on the Iraq crisis

To discuss the Iraq conflict, retired U.S. Army Major Mike Lyons joined CCTV America. He is also a senior fellow with the Truman National Security Project.

Report compiled with information from The Associated Press.