Iraq/Islamic State: Water Shortages Unite Iraq, Islamic State against Turkey

Jul 1, 2015 | Zaid Sabah, Selcan Hacaoglu, and Jack Fairweather, Bloomberg
View Original

There’s one thing Islamic State militants and the Iraqi government they’re besieging agree on: Turkey is using more than its fair share of water. Iraq and Islamic State say Turkey needs to release more water from its dams to replenish the river in the former Fertile Crescent area where drought-like conditions endanger millions. The situation has grown even more acute for Iraq after Islamic State, whose holdings fall within the watershed, used a dam captured in Ramadi in June to cut off water to government areas.