The Iraqi government signed a $296 million deal with Italy’s Trevi firm on March 2 to repair and maintain the strategic Mosul Dam, Alsumaria News reported. An Iraqi government spokesman said work on the dam should begin as soon as possible, though he would not give a time frame for construction or repairs. The dam, which the Islamic State seized and then lost in 2014, is in dire need of repairs. A catastrophic collapse could release a wall of water on Mosul and Baghdad that could kill thousands of civilians.