Shafaq News– Damascus

Syria is set to take control of the Al-Yaarubiyah border crossing with Iraq from the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) reopening a key trade route shut since the outbreak of the civil war in 2011.

Mazen Alloush, director of relations at Syria’s General Authority for Ports and Customs, told Shafaq News on Wednesday that the crossing, known as Al-Waleed on the Iraqi side, will resume operations alongside Albu Kamal, currently the only active Syria–Iraq border post, which links to Iraq’s Al-Qaim crossing.

Before the conflict, annual trade between Syria and Iraq exceeded $5 billion through the two crossings, transporting food, fuel, and construction materials, according to local outlets, though volumes later collapsed due to fighting, sanctions, and years of control by the SDF. Albu Kamal now handles about 500 trucks a day, generating an estimated $2–3 billion a year.

The handover follows a January 18 agreement under which the SDF agreed to transfer control of border crossings, oil fields, and civilian institutions in northeast Syria to Damascus in exchange for the individual integration of its fighters into state forces.

Although Damascus and Baghdad had discussed reactivating the crossing in September 2025, Iraq has since reinforced border security, citing risks tied to renewed fighting in Syria and the presence of ISIS detainees held in nearby SDF-run prisons and the Al-Hol camp, which houses tens of thousands of ISIS-linked individuals.

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