Iraqi government forces say they
have cleared Islamic State (IS) militants from a wide area around the
strategic Haditha dam, helped by US air strikes.
The jihadists have repeatedly tried to capture the dam on the River Euphrates in the western province of Anbar from government troops and allied tribesmen.
The action marked a widening of US military action which has previously been restricted to northern Iraq.
On Wednesday, US President Barack Obama will reveal his strategy to defeat IS.
The group has announced the creation of a “caliphate”, or Islamic state, in the large swathes of Iraq and Syria under its control.
‘Very accurate’
The leader of a pro-Iraqi government Sunni Arab tribal militia in western Iraq said the air strikes around the Haditha dam had wiped out an IS patrol trying to attack the dam.
“They were very accurate. There was no collateral damage. If Islamic State had gained control of the dam, many areas of Iraq would have been seriously threatened, even Baghdad,” Sheikh Ahmed Abu Risha told Reuters.
Iraqi forces then launched a drive against militants in the Haditha area and regained ground.
“Joint forces backed by air support and tribesmen launched a wide attack to clear the areas surrounding the Haditha district,” military spokesman Lt Gen Qassem Atta told the AFP news agency.
Troops and militia also retook Barwana, east of Haditha, from IS fighters, who abandoned their weapons and vehicles while retreating, AFP reported.
The jihadists have repeatedly tried to capture the dam on the River Euphrates in the western province of Anbar from government troops and allied tribesmen.
The action marked a widening of US military action which has previously been restricted to northern Iraq.
On Wednesday, US President Barack Obama will reveal his strategy to defeat IS.
The group has announced the creation of a “caliphate”, or Islamic state, in the large swathes of Iraq and Syria under its control.
‘Very accurate’
The leader of a pro-Iraqi government Sunni Arab tribal militia in western Iraq said the air strikes around the Haditha dam had wiped out an IS patrol trying to attack the dam.
“They were very accurate. There was no collateral damage. If Islamic State had gained control of the dam, many areas of Iraq would have been seriously threatened, even Baghdad,” Sheikh Ahmed Abu Risha told Reuters.
Iraqi forces then launched a drive against militants in the Haditha area and regained ground.
“Joint forces backed by air support and tribesmen launched a wide attack to clear the areas surrounding the Haditha district,” military spokesman Lt Gen Qassem Atta told the AFP news agency.
Troops and militia also retook Barwana, east of Haditha, from IS fighters, who abandoned their weapons and vehicles while retreating, AFP reported.
