ISIS Shores Up Control of Iraqi Border Posts

After Latest Expansions, ISIS Forces Stop to Reinforce Positions

Several days of major expansions by the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) have left them in control of more territory in both Iraq and Syria, and several key border crossings.

Today, ISIS seemed focused primarily on shoring up its defenses in its newly acquired territory and reinforcing the valuable border crossings, both between Iraq and Syria and the sole crossing between Iraq and Jordan.

The border crossings with Syria, notably al-Qaim, came under attack by Syrian warplanes early in the day, though there does not appear to be any serious attempt to contest ISIS control on the ground.

Indeed, the Syria-Iraq border doesn’t really exist at all at this point, with the crossings primarily going from ISIS-held territory to other ISIS-held territory, with the northernmost crossing spanning Iraqi Kurdistan and Kurdish areas in Syria.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.