Iraqi forces ‘liberate’ Al-Qaim city near Syrian border

By Suleiman al-Qubeisi and Amir al-Saadi

ANBAR, Iraq (AA) - Iraqi forces on Friday captured the city of Al-Qaim near the Syrian border from the Daesh terrorist group, according to an Iraqi army source.

“Army troops backed by Hashd al-Shaabi fighters and Arab tribal volunteers have completely liberated Al-Qaim’s city center,” Army Colonel Walid al-Duleimi told Anadolu Agency.

“The Iraqi national flag has been raised over the city’s local government headquarters,” he added.

Earlier Friday, Iraqi forces moved into Al-Qaim with a view to driving Daesh terrorists from their last remaining stronghold in Iraq’s western Anbar province.

According to al-Duleimi, Iraqi forces have also established control over the nearby Al-Qaim border crossing.

Located two kilometers from Al-Qaim city and 410 kilometers west of provincial capital Ramadi, the Al-Qaim crossing links the Iraqi city of Husaybah to the town of Abu Kamal in Syria’s Deir ez-Zour province.

“Our forces managed to retake the crossing after killing several Daesh elements,” said al-Duleimi, adding that “large numbers” of Daesh militants had fled across the border into neighboring Syria.

Last month, Al-Qaim became the last Daesh-held Iraq-Syria border crossing after Iraqi forces retook the Al-Walid and Rabia crossings, respectively located in Anbar and the Nineveh province.

Last month, the Iraqi army began a wide-ranging campaign aimed at capturing the cities of Rawa and Al-Qaim, Daesh’s last remaining redoubts in Anbar province.

The notorious terrorist group has recently suffered a string of crushing defeats in both Iraq and Syria after overrunning vast swathes of territory in both countries in 2014.