Iraqi forces begin long battle to expel ISIL from Syrian border

The pro-government Popular Mobilization Units (Hashd Al-Sha’abi) kicked off its Syrian border offensive, yesterday, the Iraqi Joint Command announced.

The Popular Mobilization Unit will clear the Islamic State’s (ISIL) last border points from the Sinjar area to the strategic town of Al-Qa’im, which is the location of the terrorist group’s main supply route to Syria’s Deir Ezzor Governorate.

Once the border is sealed, the Popular Mobilization Units will hand-over all point to the Iraqi Federal Police, the Joint Command added.

While the Popular Mobilization Units seal the border, the Iraqi Army and Federal Police are concluding their offensive in Mosul.

According to the Iraqi Ministry of Defense, their forces have already liberated the Al-Sakar Housing Complex and Al-Khibra village in the southern countryside of Baaj.