Iraq prepares to reopen Al-Waleed border crossing with Syria in November

ANBAR – Preparations are underway to reopen the Al-Waleed border crossing with Syria after years of closure, Rutba district commissioner Imad Mishaal told 964media. He said army engineering teams and other state bodies are clearing war remnants and repairing roads and bridges leading to the crossing, while work is also ongoing inside the facility to remove rubble and rebuild government offices destroyed during military operations. November has been set as the expected date for reopening.

“In line with the central government’s directives on reopening the Al-Waleed border crossing in coordination with the Syrian side, work is now being carried out to check the road and remove war remnants,” Mishaal said. He explained that the road has been secured for a long time but is currently used as a single lane in both directions. “The second lane is now being opened and cleaned, and damaged bridges on this road will be repaired,” he added.

Mishaal emphasized that reopening the crossing will revive trade, noting its location on the main highway connecting Baghdad to Damascus, just two hours from the Syrian capital. He estimated that between 500 and 700 vehicles could pass through daily, creating new economic opportunities for Rutba, Anbar governorate, and Iraq as a whole.

Al-Waleed, facing Syria’s Al-Tanf crossing in Homs province, is one of four official border points between Iraq and Syria. It has long been a strategic trade route and was used extensively during the 1990s for commerce under the Oil-for-Food program. The crossing was seized by ISIS in 2015 before Iraqi forces and allied tribal fighters, supported by the U.S.-led coalition, retook it in 2017. Earlier this year, Iraqi and Syrian officials agreed to develop a mechanism for resuming operations at the Al-Tanf–Al-Waleed route as part of wider economic cooperation.

The move comes shortly after the reopening of the Al-Qaim crossing with Syria’s Deir ez-Zor province in June 2025. That crossing had been closed for more than six months due to instability but now operates around the clock with electronic customs procedures, easing the flow of goods and travelers.