Iraqi Kurdistan reopens border crossing with Syria
The Fishkhabour-Semalka border-crossing. Photo: Al-Arabiya News
Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) – The Fishkhabour-Semalka border crossing between Syria and Iraq was reopened on Monday, Kurdistan 24 TV reported.
The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) closed the border crossing last May until further notice for commercial, diplomatic, and other traffic.
The Fishkhabour border crossing is located on the Iraqi side of the border with Syria, and on the opposite side of the Syrian border, the Semalka border crossing is located and is controlled by the Kurdish Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria.
Press reports issued last May mentioned that the closure of the border crossing took place after disagreements between the leaders of the Kurdistan region of Iraq and the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria.
The authorities in Kurdistan prevented a delegation of Syrian Kurds from crossing to Kurdistan to participate in a conference of the Kurdistan Democratic Party led by Masoud Barzani.
Residents of northeastern Syria called on the international coalition and humanitarian organizations to intervene to reach an agreement with officials in the Kurdistan region of Iraq to reopen the border crossing.