ISIS Seizes Syrian Border Crossing With Iraq, Monitor Group Says

ISIS Seizes Syrian Border Crossing With Iraq, Monitor Group Says
This picture released on Wednesday, May 20, 2015 on the website of Islamic State militants, shows black columns of smoke rising through the air during a battle between Islamic State militants and the Syrian government forces on a road between Homs and Palmyra, Syria. Islamic State militants overran the famed archaeological site at Palmyra early on Thursday, just hours after seizing the central Syrian town, activists and officials said, raising concerns the extremists might destroy some of the priceless ruins as they have done in neighboring Iraq. (The website of Islamic State militants via AP)
This picture released on Wednesday, May 20, 2015 on the website of Islamic State militants, shows black columns of smoke rising through the air during a battle between Islamic State militants and the Syrian government forces on a road between Homs and Palmyra, Syria. Islamic State militants overran the famed archaeological site at Palmyra early on Thursday, just hours after seizing the central Syrian town, activists and officials said, raising concerns the extremists might destroy some of the priceless ruins as they have done in neighboring Iraq. (The website of Islamic State militants via AP)

BEIRUT, May 21 (Reuters) - The Islamic State militant group has seized Syria's last border crossing with Iraq after Syrian government forces withdrew, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group said on Thursday.

The al-Tanf crossing, known as al-Waleed in Iraq, is in Syria's Homs province, where Islamic State on Wednesday seized the historic city of Palmyra from government forces. An Islamic State fighter contacted by Reuters confirmed the group had taken control of the crossing, which is a 240 km (150 mile) drive from Palmyra. (Reporting by Tom Perry and Mariam Karouny; Editing by Kevin Liffey)

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