Iraq declares state of 'high alert' along Syrian border

BAGHDAD

Iraq has declared a state of “high alert” its border with Syria amid ongoing anti-terrorist operations on the Syrian side of the frontier, an Iraqi military source said Monday.

“A state of high alert has been declared along the border, while operations remain underway on the Syrian side to destroy Daesh’s lingering presence there,” Iraqi Army Major-General Qassem al-Mohammadi said in a statement.

According to al-Mohammadi, fresh security measures along the border are aimed at preventing fleeing Daesh terrorists from crossing the border into Iraq.

After the Iraqi army wrested Mosul from Daesh in late 2017, officials in Baghdad declared that the terrorist group’s presence in the country had been all but destroyed.

While attacks by Daesh have persisted in certain parts of Iraq, they appear to have become much less frequent in recent months.