Iraq to Open Border Crossing with Syria Monday
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iraq’s Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi approved the reopening on Monday of the Qaim border crossing with Syria, the latest sign of normalization between Baghdad and Damascus.
The crossing will be reopened for travelers and trade, INA reported on Friday, citing Iraq’s border agency chief.
The western Anbar province town of Qaim, 300 km (185 miles) west of Baghdad, was recaptured from Daesh in November 2017. It was the terror group’s last bastion in Iraq to fall.
It borders the Syrian town of Albu Kamal. The towns lie on a strategic supply route and the crossing between them had only been open for government or military traffic.
Iraq’s government recently called for the reinstatement of Syria’s membership of the Arab League, which was suspended in 2011 over the start of a foreign-backed civil war.