“The intent behind the water release was to use water
aggressively as a tool of destruction, targeting populations who live father
south,” said Russell Sticklor, co-author of Water Challenges and Cooperative
Response in the Middle East and North Africa.
” ISIS is well aware of the strategic importance of
controlling water access … Control of this water infrastructure allows ISIS
to control the faucet, and decide how much – or how little – water is released
downstream. This is of great strategic importance because southern Iraq, the
Shiite heartlands, needs water from the Tigris and the Euphrates to survive,”
he added. “They are in a very vulnerable position.”
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