Army wraps up Mosul Dam mission, the 'construction project that never ends'
By CHAD GARLAND | STARS AND STRIPES Published: June 21, 2019
The Islamic State group’s occupation of Iraq’s largest dam lasted just two weeks in 2014, but it prompted warnings that the structure was at risk of a collapse that could lead to death and destruction throughout the region.
Last week, officials said Mosul Dam was “standing strong†despite record rainfalls, as Iraqi, U.S. and Italian officials celebrated the completion of a $530-million project to shore-up the 2.2-mile-long structure. The dam holds back some 32 billion gallons of water about 25 miles north of one of the country’s largest cities.
“Mosul Dam will forever stand as an example of what nations working together for a common cause can accomplish,†said Matthew H. Tueller, the new U.S. ambassador to Iraq, at a ceremony last Friday.
https://www.stripes.com/news/middle-east/army-wraps-up-mosul-dam-mission-the-construction-project-that-never-ends-1.586960
