IS reduces water to government-held areas

IS militants have reduced the amount of water flowing to government-held areas in Iraq’s western Anbar province, an official said.

The move is the latest strategy in the war as Iraqi forces struggle to claw back ground held by the extremists in the Sunni heartland.

It’s not the first time that water has been used as a weapon of war in Mideast conflicts and in Iraq in particular. Earlier this year, IS reduced the flow through another lock outside the militant-held town of Fallujah, also in Anbar province. However, the extremists soon reopened it after criticism from residents.