Iraq's water war continues. Yahoo/AP

2005 photo of a Marine having fun at the Haditha dam. Yahoo/AP

The United States has launched air strikes on ISIS fighters near the Haditha dam in Iraq. Yahoo/AP. The Haditha dam is a critical stratigic asset and its capture by ISIS fighters would be devastating. Not only does the dam provide power it is a major source of water for the area. Airstrikes targeted five captured ISIS humvees and destroyed a bunker and checkpoint. ISIS had also captured the Mosul dam but Iraqi fighters with U.S. air support were able to recapture it. ISIS has used water as a terror weapon in the past. By opening the floodgates they have been able to drown out their enemies, and the fear was that they could do it again if they captured either of these dams.

My Comment:

I've talked about ISIS using water as a weapon before. The flooding tactic is a last resort, what ISIS needs these dams for is the power and the water. Electricity is of course needed to govern any area they have captured, and water is more valuable then gold in a desert country like Iraq. Capturing these dams is a major strategic goal for ISIS and the fact that they haven't been able to hold on to either of them is very good news. 

As for the airstrikes it's kind of surprising to me how limited they are. Five destroyed humvees does not seem to me like it would make much of a difference. On the other hand it's not like ISIS has a factory churning them out. Once they are gone they are gone for good unless ISIS manages to capture more of them. Still, as long as ISIS has its untouched strongholds in Syria these strikes aren't going to do all that much.