(VOVworld) – Fierce clashes occurred Saturday in the Iraqi border areas with Syria between the government forces and Sunni fighters led by the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). The militants, led by the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), first moved into the nearby town of al-Qaim on Friday, pushing out security forces, the sources said Saturday.

The government has mobilized Shi'ite militia to send volunteers to the front lines. In Baghdad's Shi'ite slum of Sadr City, thousands of fighters wearing military fatigues marched through the streets. They carried rocket-propelled grenades, semi-automatic rifles and trucks had mounted long-range rockets, including the new 3-metre “Muqtada 1” missile, named after Shi'ite cleric Muqtada Sadr, who has tens of thousands of followers.