Iraq to reopen Rabia crossing with Syria: Official

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iraq is set to reopen the Rabia border crossing in Nineveh province with Syria this month to establish an alternative trade route to Turkey, a customs official said Thursday

Samer Qasim Dawood, head of Iraq’s General Customs Authority, told Rudaw the Rabia crossing will serve as an "alternative option" to trade with Turkey.

The Rabia crossing, located about 120 kilometers west of Mosul, has been closed since 2014 after Islamic State (ISIS) militants seized large parts of Iraq and Syria. In February, Iraq’s Border Crossing Authority announced that reconstruction and rehabilitation were underway at the crossing. In September, Iraqi and Syrian officials began discussions on reopening Rabia in a bid to normalize trade.

The move follows months of disputes between Baghdad and Erbil over control of the Kurdistan Region’s border crossings, which intensified after Baghdad began implementing the Automated System for Customs Data (ASYCUDA), aimed at standardizing and digitizing customs procedures to improve transparency and revenue collection.

“If the Kurdistan Region's border crossings are automated and linked to the ASYCUDA system, we will not need to conduct commercial exchange with Turkey through Syria,” Dawood said.

Kurdish authorities have said the system restricts traders’ access to official-rate US dollars unless federal taxes are paid in advance. However, both Baghdad and the Kurdistan Regional Government confirmed on Wednesday that an agreement has been reached to implement the system across the Region’s border crossings.

Baghdad’s push for alternative routes comes as oil exports and air travel have been disrupted following the outbreak of the US-Israel war on Iran on February 28. Despite a recent two-week ceasefire between Washington and Tehran, Iraq remains unable to export crude through the Strait of Hormuz.

As a result, Iraq has turned to overland routes. Footage circulating online shows convoys of oil tanker trucks at Syria’s Mediterranean Baniyas port, awaiting shipment to global markets.

The war has also disrupted civilian travel. With airspace restricted for nearly 40 days, the Ibrahim Khalil border crossing between the Kurdistan Region and Turkey has seen a 30 percent increase in traffic, becoming the primary exit point for travelers returning to their home countries.

The war has also severely disrupted civilian movement. While the airspace was restricted for almost 40 days because of the war, the Ibrahim Khalil border crossing between the Kurdistan Region and Turkey experienced a 30 percent surge in traffic, according to data provided by border authorities on Sunday, making the crossing the primary exit point for those who sought to return to their home countries. However, the first flights landed in Iraq on Thursday after the country reopened its airspace a day prior.


Nahro Mohammed contributed to this article from Erbil, Kurdistan Region.