Who’s in control of Iraq’s largest dam?

World Today

In Iraq, there are conflicting claims about who is in control of the country’s largest dam.

Kurdish and Iraqi forces, backed by U.S. airstrikes, have retaken parts of the Mosul dam from Islamic State militants. But no one from the Iraqi army was immediately available to confirm that Kurdish forces seized control of the dam.

CCTV’s Sean Callebs reports from Erbil, in Iraq’s Kurdish region.

Who is in control of largest dam in Iraq?

In Iraq, there are conflicting claims about who is in control of the country's largest dam.

There were conflicting statements throughout the day from the Kurdish commanders, the Iraqi military in Baghdad, the Pentagon and the militants of the Islamic State group over who was in control of the strategic 2.1-mile dam that spans the Tigris River. Completed in 1986 under Saddam Hussein, it includes a sprawling complex with power generators, offices and employee housing. The southern end is mostly reserved for housing and offices.

Before Obama spoke, Kurdish forces spokesman Halgurd Hekmat said the peshmerga regained full control of the dam and its surrounding facilities following two days of fierce clashes. But Iraq’s Defense Ministry said security forces only “liberated a large part of the Mosul Dam” with the help of U.S. airstrikes, adding that forces had not freed the entire complex.

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Report compiled with information from The Associated Press.