Islamic Militants Seize 3 More Towns in N. Iraq; Civilians Flee Homes in "Humanitarian Tragedy"

Islamic militants -- who recently established the Islamic State (IS) in land it seized in Iraq and Syria -- made additional gains in northern Iraq yesterday, capturing three more towns and taking control of Iraq's largest and most important dam, the Newser website reports today (August 4, 2014).

The Islamic militants have been destroying Shiite shrines and executing resisters in the captured towns, and some 200,000 civilians have been forced to flee their homes in what the United Nations calls a "humanitarian tragedy."

The militants also were able to take control of the Mosul dam on the Tigris River -- Iraq's largest hydroelectric facility -- after a 24-hour battle.

Control of the dam gives the IS militants the ability to cause a major flood not only in Mosul, but also in Baghdad, the capital of Iraq almost 300 miles south.