CRI听力:Obama Confirms the Recapture of Mosul Dam

U.S. President Barack Obama now confirms that Kurdish forces and Iraqi troops have retaken Mosul dam from the so-called Islamic State militants.

"Today, with our support, Iraqi and Kurdish forces took a major step forward by recapturing the largest dam in Iraq, near the city of Mosul. The Mosul Dam fell under terrorist control earlier this month, and is directly tied to our objective of protecting Americans in Iraq."

Obama adds that the U.S will continue to pursue a long-term strategy to fight the IS.

Earlier, Kurdish forces said they managed to gain full-control of the Mosul Dam, which supplies electricity and water for irrigation to much of Iraq.

Iraq officials describe the takeover as a strategic victory and say their next objective will be to win back Mosul city itself.

Lt. Gen. Qassim al-Moussawi is an Iraqi army spokesman.

"What is important is that the security forces have arrived at the dam and they were able to capture the dam and conduct a full check around it to make sure that it's empty of bombs and explosive charges. The Iraqi flag has been raised on the dam."

The Kurdish peshmerga, backed by Iraqi and US warplanes, have been fighting to retake the Dam from IS since early Sunday.

The US has successfully conducted 15 air strikes near the dam, damaging armed vehicles.

Meanwhile, the humanitarian aid from the European Union has also reached Iraq.

This comes as Sweden's Foreign Minister Carl Bildt and EU Aid Commissioner Kristalina Georgieva arrives in Irbil for talks with the Kurdish regional government.