US military helping op to seize strategic dam near Syria's Raqa

The US military provided air and artillery support -- and transported local forces -- in an offensive for a vitally important dam near the Islamic State group's stronghold of Raqa in Syria, officials said Wednesday.Colonel Joseph Scrocca, a spokesman for the US-led coalition helping local fighters, said US support came overnight Tuesday-Wednesday via Apache helicopter gunships, airlifts, air strikes and advice to the Syrian Democratic Forces, an Arab-Kurdish alliance.In a first, US forces helico