The U.S. undertook airstrikes in Iraq this weekend to protect two key dams from ISIS fighters, federal officials said Sunday morning.
“Our actions, which are in the national security and foreign policy interests of the United States, support Iraqi efforts to defend this critical infrastructure from” ISIS, National Security Council spokeswoman Caitlin Hayden said in a statement.
President Obama will speak to the nation on Wednesday to outline his strategy for dealing with ISIS, also known as the Islamic State or ISIL. Speaking on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” the president also said he did not intend to ask Congress to authorize military action against ISIS but suggested he could seek a vote to make available additional resources.
The Haditha and Mosul hydroelectric dams hold back the waters of the historically important Euphrates and Tigris rivers, respectively. They are central to producing electricity in those areas, as well as providing water for drinking and irrigation for nearby residents and farmers.
The airstrikes this weekend bring the total number of strikes in Iraq to 138 since Aug. 8.
A clutch of fighters and bombers undertook four airstrikes near Haditha on Saturday, taking out five ISIS Humvees, a checkpoint and another armed vehicle and also damaged an ISIS bunker, the Pentagon said.
“The potential loss of control of the dam or a catastrophic failure of the dam — and the flooding that might result — would have threatened U.S. personnel and facilities in and around Baghdad, as well as thousands of Iraqi citizens,” Pentagon press secretary Navy Rear Adm. John Kirby said in a statement.
Haditha Dam is being protected by Iraqi security forces, with support from Sunni tribes, federal officials said.
At Mosul, U.S. aircraft damaged an ISIS Humvee.
