ISIS Battles Syria Rebels for Southern Iraq Border Crossing

Rebels Seized Syrian Crossing in Surprise Friday Attack

Rebels from the Free Syrian Army (FSA), backed by US airstrikes, are said to still be contesting control over the Tanf border crossing, the southernmost crossing between Syria and Iraq, after briefly taking control over the crossing on Friday.

The FSA forces crossed in from neighboring Jordan and took the crossing by surprise, quickly routing ISIS forces there. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, however, reported by Saturday that the crossing was back under full ISIS control.

Reports since then have insisted the crossing remains contested between the two forces. ISIS denied that the crossing was ever fully lost, however, and insisted that they quickly chased off the FSA forces attacking them.

Tanf links mostly empty desert in Iraq’s Anbar Province to a highway leading to Syria’s Tadmur. A border crossing into Jordan is also close by, and has also been sought by ISIS. The much more important crossing between Iraq and Syria, at Abu Kamal, remains under ISIS control.

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.