Syria, Iraq troops link at border after years

BEIRUT : Syrian troops and allied militias met up with Iraqi forces at one crossing point along their shared border on Sunday for the first time in years, in a step described as a major achievement by the Syrian military in their fight against the Islamic State group.

The development reported by pro-government media Sunday comes a day after Iraqi forces captured a border crossing point with Syria, al-Waleed, from the IS militants.

A Syrian general on the progovernment al-Ikhbariya TV channel said the campaign in recent weeks seized 25,000 square km, reaching the Iraqi borders, calling it a “qualitative operation.”

“This is the sign of the cooperation between the brotherly Iraqi and Syrian military leadership to secure the shared borders,” the unnamed general told the pro-state TV.