TBILISI, Georgia (AP) – The U.S. military launched airstrikes Sunday around Haditha Dam in western Iraq, targeting Islamic State insurgents there for the first time in a move to prevent the group from capturing the vital dam.
U.S. officials said that while the Anbar Province dam remains in control of the Iraqis, the U.S. offensive was an effort to beat back militants who have been trying to take over key dams across the country, including the Haditha complex.
“These strikes are being conducted to prevent the terrorists from further threatening Iraqi Security Forces in control of the dam,” an official said. The dam is a major source of water and electrical power.
The officials were traveling with U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel who was in Georgia for talks with defense and other leaders. His visit comes on the heels of the two-day NATO summit in Wales.
Last month Islamic State fighters were battling to capture the Haditha Dam, which has six power generators located alongside Iraq’s second-largest reservoir. But, despite their attacks, Iraqi forces there backed up by local Sunni tribes have been able to hold them off.