ISIS Control of Border Crossing Between Iraq & Syria: Fighters Prepare For Likely Assault On Baghdad

Source: UK Guardian

Isis Takes Control of Border Crossing Between Iraq and Syria
Militant group able to move weapons and equipment as fighters prepare for likely assault on Baghdad, say officials. The Islamic extremist group Isis has taken a crossing on the Iraq-Syria border 200 miles west of Baghdad, allowing them to move both men and heavy equipment freely, security officials have said.

After a day-long battle on Friday, during which 30 Iraqi troops were reportedly killed, the terrorist group and allied Sunni militants gained control of the crossing near the border town of Qaim, Associated Press reported police and army officials as saying.

The fighters have carved out a large fiefdom astride the border and have long travelled back and forth with ease, but the control of crossings allows them to bring up heavier weapons to different battlefields as they vow to march on Baghdad. The capture of the Qaim border crossing deals a further blow to Iraq's embattled prime minister, Nouri al-Maliki, after the country's highest Shia authority, Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, called on Friday for the quick formation of a new and "effective" government.

Read more: http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/jun/21/isis-iraq-crossing-border-syria