Kurdish officials said Islamic State fighters had put up stiff resistance, slowing the Peshmerga's advance
There are conflicting reports about whether Kurdish Peshmerga fighters and Iraqi troops have fully retaken Mosul dam from Islamic State (IS) militants.
Iraqi military spokesman Lt-Gen Qassim Atta told state TV the dam - Iraq's largest - had been "fully cleansed". Troops had been backed by a joint air patrol, he added, without specifying if there had been any US air strikes.
However, journalists in the area said fighting was continuing and jihadists remained in control of the main gate.
The BBC's Paul Wood met civilians who have had their lives destroyed by the crisis
An Islamic State statement also contradicted the military's claim, saying it had repelled Kurdish fighters and inflicted heavy losses.
The US has said its deployment of air power in support of the Kurdish forces will be limited
US support 'limited'
The dam, captured by IS on 7 August, is of huge strategic significance.
Located on the River Tigris about 50km (30 miles) upstream from the city of Mosul, it controls the water and power supply to a large surrounding area in northern Iraq.
Earlier, Kurdish officials said the Peshmerga had recaptured most of the area around the dam, but still had more to do to achieve full control.
They said IS fighters had put up stiff resistance, and had planted many roadside bombs and other explosive devices.
Islamic State said it had repelled the Kurdish fighters and remained in control of Mosul dam
In support of the Peshmerga operation, US bombers, fighter jets and unmanned drones carried out a total of 25 air strikes over the weekend, hitting more than 30 IS vehicles and a checkpoint, the Pentagon said.
The US government has said its deployment of air power in support of the Kurdish forces will be "limited in scope and duration".
A letter to Congress on Sunday, the White House stressed the vital nature of the Mosul dam, saying that if it were breached it could cause massive loss of civilian life, and even threaten the US embassy in Baghdad.
On Monday, the UK said its mission in Iraq would be stepped up to go beyond the provision of humanitarian aid.
Defence Secretary Michael Fallon said the mission could last for months and now involved the transport of ammunition and weapons from third countries to the Peshmerga.
The RAF have deployed Tornado bombers to provide vital intelligence on IS movements across Iraq, as Nomia Iqbal reports
Mr Fallon also said British warplanes were flying deeper into Iraq, to gather intelligence about IS positions.
The BBC's Jim Muir, who is in the northern city of Irbil, says Kurdish forces are planning to advance eastwards from the Mosul Dam to the plains of Nineveh and westwards towards Sinjar.
Thousands of members of the Yazidi religious minority were forced to flee Sinjar when jihadists overran the town two weeks ago, prompting an international aid operation and helping to trigger the US air strikes.
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