Islamic Militant Group Takes Control of Dam, 3 Towns In Iraq
The Isamic State, an extremist militant group that has forced thousands of Christians from their homes, recently had another victory when it seized an important dam, three small towns and an oilfield from Kurdish forces.
Members of the Islamic State, formerly the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant [ISIS], were able to seize the Mosul Dam after barely 24 hours of conflict with Kurdish forces. The dam is a powerful weapon to have, as it allows the Sunni extremists to control electricity, power and water, even giving them the ability to cut off water to farms and other areas.
"The terrorist gangs of the Islamic State have taken control of Mosul Dam after the withdrawal of Kurdish forces without a fight," Iraqi state television said Sunday.
"Initially strong Kurdish resistance evaporated after the start of an offensive to take the town of Zumar," the news agency continued. "The Islamists then hoisted their black flags there, a ritual that has often preceded mass executions of their captured opponents and the imposition of an ideology even al-Qaeda finds excessive."
The Islamic State also successfully captured three more towns and an oilfield as a result of Sunday's attack. Previously, the militant group had captured the city of Mosul, a hamlet for Iraq's Christians, and ordered all non-Muslim residents to convert to Islam, pay a tax or die. They also imposed strict Shariah laws in the area that forced all women to wear full-face veils, as well as demanded shopkeepers cover their mannequins with veils to uphold the Shariah teaching that forbids the human form.
Since its invasion in June, the Islamic State has now gained control of seven cities in Iraq, all a part of its effort to overthrow Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki and his Shi'ite-led government. In some towns, including Mosul, the militants have placed fees on trucks and cars carrying goods into the city, further enhancing their power and leverage over the local economy and the lives of its citizens.
