Peshmerga forces belonging to the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) handed over control of the İbrahim Halil border gate at Habur with Turkey to Iraqi central government forces after operating the crossing for 14 years, the Cumhuriyet daily reported on Tuesday.
Amid tension due to an independence referendum held on Sept. 25 by the KRG, Ankara and Baghdad had agreed on control of the border gate by Iraq. Turkish and Iraqi forces had launched a joint military exercise next to the Habur border gate on Turkish side.
Turkish and Iraqi soldiers together celebrated the handover of the border gate in the area between each country’s gate.
The İbrahim Halil border gate had been under the control of the peshmerga since the US military operation against Iraq in 2003.