Posted on 08/13/2014 4:39:34 PM PDT by Leaning Right
Last week, the barbaric Islamic State (IS) seized the vitally important Mosul dam, dramatically impacting tactical options against them and potentially changing the future of the Middle East.
* snip *
Since the dam was completed in the mid-1980’s it has required continuous (daily) maintenance, because it was built on top of gypsum, a soft mineral which dissolves when in contact with water. More than 50,000 tons of materials have been injected into the dam since 1986. The ‘sink hole’ type of cavities that constantly form have to be expeditiously plugged with “grout”, a liquefied mixture of cement and other additives.
A dam break does not require sabotage. Maintenance failure has the same result.
(Excerpt) Read more at zerohedge.com ...
If ISIS breaks it, ISIS owns it.
Is anyone out there as tired as I am about this? How many time do we have to save these MUSLIMS from themselves? When we left Iraq, we left them with a viable army, and what did this army do, when confronted with ISIS? They ran like a bunch of scardy cats. Now, these same people that have been cursing us for being there, is begging us to come back. FOR WHAT? I ask you. In my opinion, Iraq has enough money, in their oil revenue, to hire mercenaries from every country, to chase or kill every ISIS soldier, in their territory. Let them use that money to defend themselves, instead of stealing it.
Sounds like some of the dams they built in America when they were running out of decent rivers to dam and just wanted to create make-work projects to keep the pork going to congresscritters’ districts.
The US in Iraq.
Dam if you do.
Dam if you don’t.
A September 2006 report by the United States Army Corps of Engineers noted, "In terms of internal erosion potential of the foundation, Mosul Dam is the most dangerous dam in the world."
They estimated 500,000 deaths in Baghdad in the event of a catastrophic failure. However, not to worry,
Iraqi officials maintain that the U.S. government is overstating the risk.
Hmm...one wonders if that assessment hasn't changed over the course of the last couple of weeks. I wonder what 7 million pairs of waders would cost...
It really makes you wonder why the dam wasn't defended by an elite unit. If not a dependable Iraqi army division, then perhaps a well-armed unit of “contractors” (mercenaries).
The danger was known during construction. When the US invaded, they discovered the dam staff still busily at work a month after their pay check had stopped coming. The Dam manager interviewed in recent days is the same guy whose been there since the Sadaam days, so I suspect the maintenance staff just changed the flags out front and kept working. ISIS does have engineers on scene, but they’re primarily focused on keeping the power generating and distribution running.
The IG report on the US efforts to improve the dam is pretty humorous reading. Essentially it turned out to be the kind of effort that gives circular collaborative manual erotic experiences a bad name.
Is the world more at peace with the religion of peace?
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