Iraq reopens key border crossing with Syria after 13 years

Iraq revives key Syria trade route, boosts regional links

Dubai: Iraq reopened a strategic border crossing with Syria on Monday, restoring a key trade and transit route that had been closed for more than a decade following the rise of ISIS.

The Rabia crossing, located in Iraq’s north-western Nineveh province and known as Al Yarubiyah on the Syrian side, resumed operations after nearly 13 years of closure, officials said at the site, according to AFP. 

Its reopening means all official border crossings between Iraq and Syria are now operational. The two countries share a border stretching over 600 kilometres, with two other crossings at Al Qaim (Al Bukamal in Syria) and Al Waleed (Al Tanf).

Rabia holds particular strategic value. It connects Iraq to north-eastern Syria near the Turkish border and is part of the country’s broader “Development Road” project, a proposed 1,200-kilometre corridor of highways and rail links designed to connect Gulf states in the south to Turkey in the north via Iraq.

Local officials say the move could help revive economic activity in the region. Mohammed Hreiss, a member of Nineveh’s provincial council, said reopening the crossing would support trade flows, facilitate the movement of people and encourage investment, while boosting government revenues.

The crossing was shut in 2014 after ISIS seized large swathes of territory across Iraq and Syria, disrupting cross-border movement and trade.