Iraq agreed to open al-Qaem border crossing with Syria officially

“Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi agreed to open al-Qaem border crossing with Syria on Monday,” the official Iraqi News Agency (INA) has reported.

It noted that, “the head of the border outlets, Kazem Muhammad Breisem al-Uqabi  confirmed the readiness of the outlet for the passage of the passengers, in addition to the trade exchange.

In November 2017, the Iraqi government recaptured the town of al-Qaem in the province of al-Anbar west of the country from the Islamic State (ISIS). 

Al-Qaem town is 300km west of Baghdad, and it was the last stronghold of ISIS before its fall in Iraq.

It is adjacent to the Syrian town of Albukamal, which was also a stronghold of ISIS.

The two towns are located on a strategic supply route, and the border crossing was open to government and military traffic only.

Iraq declared the victory over ISIS in 2017, as it lost its last enclaves in Syria this year. 

Al-Qaem border crossing on the Iraqi side which is called Albukamal on the Syrian side, was controlled by al-Nusra Front and other battalions of the Syrian opposition until it was taken over by ISIS in 2014, where it was closed completely.

In addition, Syria and Iraq share several border crossings along the borders between the two countries.

Al-Yarubiya border crossing (al-Rabi’a on the Iraqi side) at Tal Kuchar town in the governorate of Hasakah is run by the Autonomous Administration of northeastern Syria.

Semalka-Bishabour border crossing which lies in the far north-east of Syria between the Autonomous Administration regions and Iraqi Kurdistan Region, it is open to commercial and human movement.

There is also al-Tanf (al-Walid) border crossing south of Deir ez-Zor, which is controlled by Syrian opposition forces backed by the Global Coalition.