Iraqi Official: Baghdad Pressured by Washington Not to Liberate Al-Qaim

“Liberation of al-Qaim materialized the goal of contacting the Syrian side and coordination with the resistance front in the entire region and thwarted the US plot to create distance among members of the resistance front,” al-Hosseini was quoted as saying by the Arabic-language al-Mayadeen news channel on Saturday.

He also revealed that “Washington pressured the Iraqi government not to liberate al-Qaim”.

Noting that the Iraqi forces will also participate in the anti-ISIL battle in Syria’s Albukamal, al-Hosseini said, “Albu Kamal is within the range of the Iraqi missiles deployed in al-Qaim.”

A military source announced that the Iraqi forces on Friday managed to capture the city of al-Qaim near the Syrian border from the ISIL group.

The commander stressed that Iraqi forces have also established control over the nearby al-Qaim border crossing.

Liberation of al-Qaim means that the ISIL militants in Iraq are now in control of just the smaller neighboring town of Rawa and surrounding pockets of barren desert along the Euphrates river.