Islamic State of Iraq and Syria militants took control of the Syrian side of the the Al Waleed border crossing which connects the country with Iraq, Al Arabiya News Channel reported.

Earlier on Thursday, a fire erupted at the crossing after Iraqi troops blocked access from their side after Syrian regime forces had withdrew from Al Waleed.

The crossing is in Syria's Homs province, where Islamic State on Wednesday seized the historic city of Palmyra from government forces.



It was not immediately clear when Islamic State took the site.



An ISIS fighter contacted by Reuters confirmed the group had taken control of the crossing, which is a 240 km drive from Palmyra, known as Tadmur in Arabic.



ISIS also controls a border crossing between Syrian province of Deir al-Zor and the Iraqi province of Anbar, while a border crossing between the two countries in northeastern Syria is controlled by a Kurdish militia, the YPG.



( with Reuters)



Islamic State has declared a cross-border "caliphate" in the

territory it controls in Syria and Iraq.







Last Update: Wednesday, 20 May 2020 KSA 09:47 - GMT 06:47