New Syria government takes control of border crossings with Turkiye in latest security handover

Syria’s new authorities have taken control of its northern border crossings with Turkiye, in a reported official handover of the facilities after around a decade of Turkish control.

According to the official Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA), the director of relations at the General Authority for Land and Sea Ports, Mazen Alloush, announced on Saturday that Damascus and Ankara have coordinated and conducted a handover of all border crossings in the northern Aleppo countryside, including the Jarablus, Al-Rai, Bab Al-Salama and Al-Hamam crossings.

“As of this morning, these crossings are now fully managed by the new Syrian government,” he stated. The move followed a meeting “between the leadership of the General Authority for Land and Sea Ports and a delegation from several entities affiliated with the Turkish government”.

The decision comes at a time when the new Syrian authorities – which overthrew the late regime of Bashar Al-Assad a month ago – are steadily cementing their rule by rebuilding and reviving the country’s institutions and infrastructure, much of it with foreign assistance from the likes of Turkiye and other states.

Part of that assistance is the handing over of border controls and other security responsibilities to the new Syrian government, following around a decade of Turkish forces’ control of the northern border crossings since Ankara’s military intervention into Syria during the civil war.

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