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ISIS Takes Control Of Iraq’s Largest Dam, 3 More Towns And An Oilfield
Iraq musters feeble resistance amid ISIS onslaught
BAGHDAD – Islamic State fighters seized control of Iraq’s biggest dam, an oilfield and three more towns on Sunday after inflicting their first major defeat on Kurdish forces since sweeping across much of northern Iraq in June.
The Islamic State has systematically blown up Shi’ite mosques and shrines in territory it has seized, fuelling levels of sectarian violence unseen since the very worst weeks of Iraq’s 2006-2007 civil war.
Capture of the electricity-generating Mosul Dam, after an offensive of barely 24 hours, could give the Sunni militants the ability to flood major Iraqi cities or withhold water from farms, raising the stakes in their bid to topple Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki’s Shi’ite-led government.
“The terrorist gangs of the Islamic State have taken control of Mosul Dam after the withdrawal of Kurdish forces without a fight,” said Iraqi state television. “The situation has taken a turn for the worse over the weekend,” said Karwan Zebari, an official with the Kurdistan Regional Government’s office in Washington.
He said peshmerga fighters were preparing for a “major offensive” Sunday night to take back control of towns near the dam
The swift withdrawal of the peshmerga troops was an apparent severe blow to one of the few forces in Iraq that until now had stood firm against the Sunni Islamist fighters who aim to redraw the borders of the Middle East.
The Islamic State, which sees Iraq’s majority Shi’ites as apostates who deserve to be killed, also seized three towns and the Ain Zalah oilfield, adding to four others already under its control that provide funding for operations.
The post ISIS Takes Control Of Iraq’s Largest Dam, 3 More Towns And An Oilfield appeared first on Now The End Begins.
Source: http://www.nowtheendbegins.com/blog/?p=23952
