Friday, June 5, 2015

Iraq: ISIS latest weapon - turn off Ramadi dam water

(source)


From Homeland Security NewsWire:

ISIS closes gates on Ramadi dam, cutting off water to towns loyal to Baghdad


5June 2015


Global security analysts have warned for some time now that water scarcity due to climate change will be used as a tool of war in regions with poor governance. The on-going wars in Iraq and Syria provide the first examples of the strategic and tactical use of water as a tool of war, as militant groups operating in both countries – and, in Syria, to government of Bashar al-Assad — have been using the denial of water as a tool against areas and populations they regard as hostile. “ISIS has established a blueprint that can be used by other entities to take advantage of drought and water scarcity,”writes one researcher. “For all the conversation about ISIS taking control of oil refineries, one could argue that their control of water is even more significant, as it deprives the population of a resource necessary for daily sustenance and gives the militant group significant leverage over local governments and populations.”


Last month ISIS militants captured a dam on the Euphrates River to the north of the Iraqi city of Ramadi, and last week they began closing most of its gates, cutting water supplies to pro-government towns and villages downstream. Iraqi officials say that the move will also make it easier for the Islamists to attack forces loyal to Baghdad.

The large dam has twenty-six gates, but ISIS have kept only two or three gates open for brief periods of time daily....


The Havok Journal also looks at the short and long term effects of this latest by ISIS.  Go read:  ISIS Takes Ramadi Dam, Did We Lose The War?

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