Iraqi forces kickoff large-scale operation along Syrian border

The Iraqi Armed Forces kicked off a large-scale operation along the Syrian border on Wednesday, Iraqi News reported, citing a field commander.

“Security troops of Jazeera Operations Command, army and border guards, backed by tribal fighters, carried out a military operation from four sides including Qaim, Rawa, Rutba and al-Waleed region to secure the Iraqi-Syrian borders and the western desert,” Maj. Gen. Qassim al-Muhammadi, the commander told Erbil-based BasNews.

The security operation, according to Muhammadi, “seeks eliminating presence of Islamic State cells, along with destroying tunnels and hideouts that could be used by the militants.”

The Iraqi Armed Forces are currently working to secure the entire Syrian border region, which still has a small presence of Islamic State (ISIS) terrorist lurking around this vast desert area.

While the Iraqi Armed Forces have liberated their lands from the Islamic State, the terrorist group still uses its sleeper cells in the region to carry out sporadic attacks.