Iraq and Syria have reopened a major border crossing on a vital highway linking their two capitals Baghdad and Damascus, seized by the Daesh terror group in 2014. Iraqi security forces retook the border post near the town of Al-Qaim in late 2017 as part of a massive operation backed by an international coalition against the ISIS caliphate.
The border point is a strategic supply route for both countries and has only been open to government officials and the military since it was recaptured from ISIS. The opening of the crossing would revitalize Syrian-Iraqi economic cooperation that would be crucial in the countries’ efforts to rebuild after the crisis.
Islamic State in 2014 seized vast swathes of land in both Iraq and Syria, declaring a caliphate across both countries. Iraq declared victory over the group in 2017 and it lost its last territory in Syria earlier this year.
