A key border crossing between southeastern Türkiye and northern Syria reopened to limited civilian traffic on Tuesday after remaining closed since 2014 amid the Syrian conflict.
Located in Türkiye’s Şanlıurfa province, the Akçakale border crossing, opposite the Syrian town of Tel Abyad, officially resumed entry and exit operations on Tuesday, 12 May.
The decision to reopen the crossing follows a directive issued by the Turkish Interior Ministry.
According to Şanlıurfa provincial officials, a “new chapter” began when Tel Abyad’s customs directorate was transferred to Syria’s new administration earlier this year, prompting what they described as a process of “normalisation” in the restive border region.
The Akçakale crossing was first closed to traffic in 2014 as the conflict in neighbouring Syria escalated and the region became increasingly volatile.
In 2019, limited operations resumed at the crossing, although only for commercial cargo, humanitarian aid deliveries and cross-border travel by authorised public officials.
Under the latest measures, three categories of passport holders will now be permitted to cross the border.
These include Turkish citizens, Syrians with dual nationality, and Syrian nationals legally residing in Türkiye with valid work or residence permits.
During Syria’s years-long conflict, this section of the border region was particularly prone to violence.
Throughout the war, which lasted from 2011 until late 2024, Tel Abyad changed hands several times.
The border town witnessed especially intense fighting in 2015, when it was briefly seized by the ISIS terrorist group, also known locally as Daesh.
The reopening of the Akçakale crossing is considered particularly significant for Türkiye, which continues to host more than three million registered Syrian refugees, many of whom remain under temporary protection status.
Kuwait arrested four members of an IRGC-linked group as they tried to enter the country by sea, the Gulf s...
Senior officials from China and Uzbekistan met in Beijing this week for talks on tra...
Senior economic officials from China and the U.S. are holding two days of trade talk...
A key border crossing between southeastern Türkiye and northern Syria reopened to limited civilian traffic on...
Biological samples from an Italian man were transferred to a specialist hospital for testing on Tuesday, after he was suspected of contra...
After years of limited engagement, relations between Syria and the European Union are drawing renewed diplomatic attention as both sides explore cooperation on migration, security and regional stability..
Australian police have charged two women linked to the Islamic State group with slavery offences after they returned from Syria, where they had been detained in a refugee camp for more than seven years.
Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa has said his country could provide a “safe corridor” and “alternative route” for regional energy shipments, as supply disruptions continue to affect the wider Middle East.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has met Syria’s new leader, Ahmed al-Sharaa, in Damascus in a visit that underscores Kyiv’s push to strengthen military ties across the Middle East and promote its military expertise following the outbreak of the U.S.-Israel war on Iran.
Kuwait arrested four members of an IRGC-linked group as they tried to enter the country by sea, the Gulf state's KUNA news agency reported on Tuesday. Meanwhile, a senior IRGC officer said Iran had expanded its definition of the Strait of Hormuz to include a far wider area.
Australia confirmed it will repatriate citizens from the MV Hondius cruise ship hit by a deadly hantavirus outbreak, with quarantine on arrival. Spain, France are evacuating nationals as three deaths are confirmed. In the U.S., two passengers have been isolated after testing positive for the virus.
U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday dismissed Iran’s response to a U.S. peace proposal as a “stupid proposal,” saying Tehran failed to commit to abandoning its pursuit of a nuclear weapon, while warning the fragile ceasefire was on “massive life support”.
Metropolitan Shio of Senaki and Chkhorotsku has been elected the 142nd head of the Georgian Orthodox Church at a meeting of clergy in Tbilisi following the death of longtime Patriarch Ilia II.
Afghanistan has signed a five-year gold mining contract with Afghan and Azerbaijani companies in a deal worth more than $20m, the Ministry of Mines and Petroleum has said.
Three Afghan journalists have been detained by Afghan intelligence officials in Kabul, according to media support groups, raising fresh concerns about press freedom in Afghanistan.
Dozens of people, including two police officers, were killed and dozens more injured in a bomb blast at a market in north-western Pakistan on Tuesday (12 May), authorities said, in the second deadly attack in the region within four days.
Exclusive flight-tracking material obtained by AnewZ has raised new questions about French military aircraft movements linked to President Emmanuel Macron’s recent diplomacy with Armenia and the wider scope of France’s defence cooperation with Yerevan.
Tajikistan and China signed more than 50 agreements worth more than $8 billion during President Emomali Rahmon’s visit to Beijing, deepening economic ties and reinforcing China’s role as Tajikistan’s leading investor and creditor.
Türkiye’s President, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, has called for stronger Türkiye-European Union relations, saying modernising the Customs Union is essential to closer integration amid shifting geopolitical and economic realities.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment