IS militants seize last Syria-Iraq border checkpoint

BEIRUT, May 22. /TASS/. Islamic State (IS) militants have seized the Al-Tanf checkpoint at the border with Iraq, Lebanon’s Daily Star newspaper reported on Thursday. Al-Tanf, located on the Damascus-Baghdad freeway, was the last border checkpoint controlled by the government forces, the daily noted. The border crossing was attacked after IS captured Syria’s towns of Palmyra and As Sukhnah and several oil and gas deposits in the eastern part of the Homs Governorate. Sky News Arabia said that IS militants have considerably increased their territories by seizing Palmyra in Syria and Ramadi in Iraq’s Al Anbar Governorate. The extremist organization now controls 40 percent of Iraq’s territory and around 50 percent of Syria’s territory. IS gangs operate in nine out of 14 Syrian governorates. Read more