US-backed Syrian forces ‘coordinating’ border security with Iraqi army

US-backed Iraqi and Kurdish-led Syrian forces are “coordinating” security against remaining Islamic State (IS) contingents along Syria’s northeastern border with Iraq, Kurdish military sources told Syria Direct on Monday.

Commanders from both the Iraqi army and the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) met on Sunday within the border zone between northeastern Syria and neighbouring Iraq to “consult on coordinating” border security amid IS’s waning presence there, SDF spokesman Mustafa Bali told Syria Direct. He called it “the first meeting of its kind” between the two forces.

We look forward to better relations with all those in our proximity.”

– Mustafa Bali, SDF spokesman

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Sunday’s meeting appears to be a preview of what post-IS security measures could look like, including possible shared military posts between the SDF and Iraqi army, as IS loses its last remaining territory in northeast Syria and west Iraq.

Read the whole story from Middle East Eye.

Featured image courtesy of AP