One week after the Islamic State announced their capture of the Mosul Dam, Kurdish militias were able to liberate the eastern sector of the main facility. U.S. air strikes destroyed the Islamic State’s heavy weaponry, paving the way for Peshmerga Forces to infiltrate the frontline and secure the eastern perimeter before the IS reinforcements could arrive to provide aid. At least two dozen Islamic State militants were killed and another 40 were wounded as a result of these violent clashes.
The United States Air Force played an integral role in the Kurdish Forces success at the Mosul Dam due to their effective aerial bombardment of Islamic State positions near the Iraqi provinces of Erbil and Nineveh. Similar to the situation in Syria, the Islamic State’s plight derives from its inability to counter aerial attacks. The Islamic State does not have anti-aircraft missiles and they have very little mobility on the ground once they are exposed to enemy aircraft. Sources on the ground state that clashes are still ongoing, despite the arrival of nightfall.
