U.S. broadens campaign against ISIS with airstrikes near another Iraqi dam

U.S. broadens campaign against ISIS with airstrikes near another Iraqi dam
(Image credit: Win McNamee / Getty Images)

The U.S. military said Sunday it had conducted airstrikes against ISIS near the Haditha Dam in western Iraq, the first time it has struck militants there. The dam is Iraq's second-biggest, and allowing it to fall under ISIS' control would potentially threaten the power and water supplies for much of the country's population.

"We conducted these strikes to prevent terrorists from further threatening the security of the dam, which remains under control of Iraqi Security Forces, with support from Sunni tribes," the Pentagon said in a statement.

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Jon Terbush

Jon Terbush is an associate editor at TheWeek.com covering politics, sports, and other things he finds interesting. He has previously written for Talking Points Memo, Raw Story, and Business Insider.