Water Supply Key to Outcome of Conflicts in Iraq and Syria, Experts Warn

Jul 2, 2014 | The Guardian
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Security analysts in London and Baghdad say control of rivers and dams has become a major tactical weapon for Isis.

The outcome of the Iraq and Syrian conflicts may rest on who controls the region’s dwindling water supplies, say security analysts in London and Baghdad.

Rivers, canals, dams, sewage and desalination plants are now all military targets in the semi-arid region that regularly experiences extreme water shortages, says Michael Stephen, deputy director of the Royal United Services Institute thinktank in Qatar, speaking from Baghdad.