Islamic State shores up last stronghold on Syria-Iraq border
Islamic State is building up its defenses in a pocket of territory on the Syrian-Iraqi frontier, the U.S.-led coalition said on Friday, in an anticipation of assaults by Syrian and Iraqi forces aiming to snuff out the jihadists’ last stronghold. Iraq launched an offensive on Thursday to capture the last Iraqi territory held by Islamic […]Sarah Dadouch writes for Reuters:
Islamic State is building up its defenses in a pocket of territory on the Syrian-Iraqi frontier, the U.S.-led coalition said on Friday, in an anticipation of assaults by Syrian and Iraqi forces aiming to snuff out the jihadists’ last stronghold.
Iraq launched an offensive on Thursday to capture the last Iraqi territory held by Islamic State, the areas of Rawa and al-Qaim, a town just over the border from the Syrian town of Albu Kamal, which is also held by the jihadists.
“Right now, we are seeing the buildup of (IS) defenses in both al-Qaim and in Albu Kamal,” Colonel Ryan Dillon told Reuters by phone, adding that Islamic State’s leadership had shifted to Albu Kamal from towns deeper into Syria.
