Preparations underway to reopen key Iraq-Syria border crossing

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iraq has begun technical and engineering preparations to reopen the Rabia border crossing with Syria, more than a decade after it was closed amid the rise of the Islamic State (ISIS), officials said on Wednesday.

The Iraqi Border Crossings Authority announced that reconstruction and rehabilitation efforts at the Rabia crossing in Nineveh province are now underway, following a directive from Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' al-Sudani.

“Engineering staff in Nineveh province have begun the process of rehabilitating the crossing to reactivate its operations and strengthen trade exchange between Iraq and Syria,” Alaaldin al-Qaisi, spokesperson for the authority, told Rudaw on Wednesday.

Qaisi said the rehabilitation plan has “begun and includes preparing technical assessments, schedules for the crossing’s buildings, expanding trade exchange yards and transit routes for goods, installing weigh stations, and organizing truck traffic.”

He added that the measures are aimed at facilitating the movement of goods and travelers while boosting trade between the two neighboring countries.

The Rabia crossing, located about 120 kilometers west of Mosul, the capital of Nineveh province, has been closed since 2014 after ISIS militants seized swathes of Iraqi and Syrian territories.

Its reopening has long been viewed as a key step toward restoring cross-border commerce and stabilizing economic ties.

Efforts to revive the crossing have increased in recent months. In September, Iraqi and Syrian officials began discussions on reopening Rabia in a bid to normalize trade between Nineveh and northeast Syria (Rojava).

Control of the Syrian side of the crossing, known as al-Yaarubiyah, has come under the control of the Syrian Arab Army since January 20, after its large-scale attacks on Rojava.

The SDF, which previously controlled the crossing, had agreed to transfer authority over border crossings and airports in Rojava to the Syrian central government under a landmark agreement signed on March 10 by SDF commander Mazloum Abdi and Syrian interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa. The accord was reinforced by an internationally brokered agreement following weeks of intense clashes. More agreements were signed later, which aimed to end hostilities and integrate Rojava’s civil and military institutions under state control.