Islamic State militants kill 15 Iraqi police near Syrian border

Iraqi officials said Monday militants with the Islamic State group attacked a checkpoint along the border with Syria, killing at least 15 Iraqi border police officers.

A senior army official said the attack took place in the town of Walid on the Iraqi side of the border. At least five officers were wounded in the attack, the official said. A government official in Iraq’s western Anbar province confirmed the report.

The Islamic State has maintained control of most of the border crossings between Iraq and Syria since its blitz in the region earlier this year. The militant group currently controls about one-third each of Iraq and Syria.