Simalka border crossing closing decision excludes three groups of people

Shafaq News / The Simalka border crossing on the Syrian-Iraqi border, in Hasakah governorate in northeastern Syria, is still opening 3 days a week for certain groups only.  

The closure of the border crossing that reaches Duhok Governorate in the Kurdistan Region comes as part of COVID-19 Precautionary measures announced by the Kurdish Autonomous Administration.

An official source at the border crossing’s administration told Shafaq News agency that it will open its doors during Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays every week, adding that the groups allowed to go out to Iraqi Kurdistan are brides, holders of European and Iraqi residency, and patients who have health documents or medical reports.

He explained that the merchants stopped practicing their work because the border crossing is administered by Kurdistan, which did not allow them to continue their movement.

The Simalka border crossing, controlled by the Kurdish Autonomous Administration, is located in Al-Malikiyah, which is located within the Syrian-Iraqi-Turkish border triangle.