Al Waleed border crossing
{{Short description|Border crossing between Iraq and Syria}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2021}}
{{Use Oxford English|date=April 2021}}
{{Infobox bridge
| bridge_name = Al-Waleed border crossing
| native_name_lang = ar
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| native_name = https://www.alsumaria.tv/news/localnews/331495/%D8%A8%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B5%D9%88%D8%B1-%D9%85%D9%86%D9%81%D8%B0-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%88%D9%84%D9%8A%D8%AF-%D8%A8%D8%A7%D9%86%D8%AA%D8%B8%D8%A7%D8%B1-%D8%A5%D8%B9%D8%A7%D8%AF%D8%A9-%D8%A7%D9%81%D8%AA%D8%AA%D8%A7%D8%AD%D9%87منفذ الوليد الحدودي
| crosses = Iraq–Syria border
| locale = {{plainlist|
Al-Waleed
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| coordinates = {{coord|33.434|38.925|type:landmark|display=inline,title}}
| maint = {{flagdeco|Iraq}} Republic of Iraq
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Al-Waleed border crossing ({{langx|ar|منفذ الوليد الحدودي|translit=Menfath al-Waleed al-Hudoodi}}) is one of three official border crossings between Iraq and Syria.{{cite web|url=http://www.mapaction.org/component/mapcat/download/2965.html?fmt=pdf|title=Syrian border crossings|publisher=mapaction.org|date=September 2013|access-date=11 August 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161019054431/http://www.mapaction.org/component/mapcat/download/2965.html?fmt=pdf|archive-date=19 October 2016|url-status = dead|df=dmy-all}} It is located in the Ar-Rutba District of the Al-Anbar Governorate in western Iraq, close to the northeasternmost point of Jordan in the Syrian Desert. It serves as the main border checkpoint on the highway between Damascus and Baghdad. The al-Waleed checkpoint is close to al-Tanf on the Syrian side of the border in the Homs Governorate.{{Cite news |date=2017-06-17 |title=Iraqi forces remove Islamic State fighters from vicinity of U.S.base in Syria |language=en |work=Reuters |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-mideast-crisis-iraq-syria-idUSKBN19807Y |access-date=2023-08-25}} The Al-Waleed Palestinian refugee camp is nearby.
Syrian Civil War
{{See also|Al-Tanf offensive (2016)|Syrian Desert campaign (May–July 2017)|Al-Tanf (U.S. military base)}}
In May 2015, the Islamic State (IS) militants captured the checkpoint, thus obtaining control over the full length of the Iraq–Syria border. In early August 2016, the Iraqi checkpoint was recaptured by pro-government Iraqi tribal militias backed by the U.S.-led forces.{{cite web |url=http://www.iraqinews.com/iraq-war/shia-militia-with-international-coalition-liberate-waleed-along-syrian-border |title=Shia militia with international coalition liberate Waleed along Syrian border |website=iraqinews.com}}{{cite web |url=http://www.albawaba.com/news/iraqi-tribal-militia-seizes-strategic-border-area-daesh-869736 |title=Iraqi tribal militia seizes strategic border area from Daesh}} In August 2016, the BBC published photographs taken in June that year,{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-37015915 |title=UK special forces pictured on the ground in Syria |publisher=BBC News |date=8 August 2016 |access-date=9 November 2016 | first=Quentin| last= Sommerville}} which it said showed British special forces soldiers apparently guarding the perimeter of the New Syrian Army's base, at al-Waleed in Syria's Homs province.
In March 2017, U.S.-backed Maghawir al-Thawra rebels re-opened the border point, resuming cross-border civilian traffic; a group referred to as Jaish al-Ashair al-Iraqi was said to control the Iraqi side of the crossing.[http://syriadirect.org/news/us-backed-rebels-reopen-border-crossing-between-syria-and-iraq/ "Rebels reopen border crossing between Syria, Iraq"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171228000555/http://syriadirect.org/news/us-backed-rebels-reopen-border-crossing-between-syria-and-iraq/ |date=28 December 2017 }}, Syria Direct, 29 May 2017 In April 2017, the U.S. "special forces" outpost at al-Waleed was reported to be engaged in combat.{{Cite news|first=Christopher |last=Woody |title=ISIS fighters got inside the wire during a hellish firefight with US Special Ops in Syria |date=11 April 2017 |newspaper=Business Insider |url=http://www.businessinsider.com/isis-attack-on-us-troops-at-al-tanf-in-southern-syria-2017-4 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170413044118/http://www.businessinsider.com/isis-attack-on-us-troops-at-al-tanf-in-southern-syria-2017-4 |archive-date=13 April 2017 |url-status = live}}{{Cite news|first=Corey |last=Dickstein |title=US forces help repel ISIS attack on southern Syrian base |date=10 April 2017 |newspaper=Stars and Stripes |url=https://www.stripes.com/news/us-forces-help-repel-isis-attack-on-southern-syrian-base-1.462898 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170413045033/https://www.stripes.com/news/us-forces-help-repel-isis-attack-on-southern-syrian-base-1.462898 |archive-date=13 April 2017 |url-status = live}} On 18 May 2017, U.S.-led coalition fighter jets struck a convoy of pro-Syrian government forces advancing towards the Tanf base, where the U.S. military operated and trained anti-government rebels.[http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2017/05/syria-russia-condemn-led-strike-pro-assad-forces-170519080857161.html "Syria, Russia condemn US-led strike on pro-Assad forces: Deadly US-led coalition air raid against pro-Syrian government forces denounced as 'brazen' and 'unacceptable{{'"}}].[https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/05/18/us-fighter-jets-bomb-assad-tank-convoy-advancing-coalition-base/ "US jets bomb Assad tank convoy advancing on coalition base in Syria"] The Syrian forces appeared to use advanced Russia-made arms and were supported by Russian helicopters, a report acknowledged on May 26 by the Russian Defence ministry's media outlet.[https://tvzvezda.ru/news/vstrane_i_mire/content/201705261525-kfts.htm Ми-35 ВКС РФ наносит удар по террористам у границ Иордании: видео] {{in lang|ru}}. Zvezda (TV channel). 26 May 2017.
On 17 June 2017, the Iraqi military announced that the Iraqi army and Sunni tribal fighters, supported by U.S.-led coalition aircraft, had dislodged IS from the al-Waleed border crossing.{{cite web|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-mideast-crisis-iraq-syria-idUSKBN19807Y|title=Iraqi forces remove Islamic State fighters from vicinity of U.S. base in Syria|publisher=Reuters|access-date=17 June 2017}}
References
{{Reflist}}
{{Al Anbar cities}}
{{Syria border crossings}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Waleed}}