| Iraqi–Syrian border | |
|---|---|
 Map of the Iraq-Syria border | |
| Characteristics | |
| Entities |  Iraq Syria |
| Length | 599 km |
| History | |
| Established | 1932 Following theSykes-Picot Agreement and thePaulet–Newcombe Agreement |
| Current shape | Shared betweenIraq andSyria Rojava andIraqi Kurdistan control |
| Treaties | Paulet–Newcombe Agreement,League of Nations Commission Review (1932) |
| Notes | The border has been unstable due to theIraq War (2003), theSyrian Civil War, and the presence of theIslamic State. |
TheIraqi–Syrian border is the border betweenSyria andIraq and runs for a total length of 599 km (372 mi) acrossUpper Mesopotamia and theSyrian desert, from thetripoint withJordan in the south-west to the tripoint withTurkey in the north-east.[1]
The border starts in the west at the tripoint with Jordan at33°22′29″N38°47′37″E / 33.3747°N 38.7936°E /33.3747; 38.7936, with the initial section being a continuation of the long straight line that forms the eastern section of theJordan–Syria border. The boundary then shifts in the vicinity of theEuphrates river and theAl-Qa'im border crossing, proceeding northwards via a series of short straight lines, and then north-eastwards to theTigris river. The Tigris then forms a short 3-4 mile section of the border up to the Turkish tripoint at the confluence with theKhabur river at37°06′22″N42°21′26″E / 37.1060°N 42.3572°E /37.1060; 42.3572.
At the start of the 20th century, theOttoman Empire controlled what is now Syria and Iraq.[2] During theFirst World War, anArab Revolt - supported by Britain - succeeded in removing the Ottomans from most of the Middle East. As a result of the Anglo-FrenchSykes-Picot Agreement, Britain gained control of the Ottomanvilayets ofMosul,Baghdad andBasra, which it organised into themandate of Iraq in 1920, with France organising amandate over Syria.
In the period 1920-23 France and Britain signed a series of agreements, collectively known as thePaulet–Newcombe Agreement, which created the modern Jordan-Syria and Iraq–Syria borders, as an amendment to what had been designated theA zone in the Sykes–Picot Agreement.[2] In 1932, it was finalised following aLeague of Nations commission review.[2][3]
Since the beginning of the 2003Iraq War, the border region has become unstable, exacerbated since 2011 by the ongoingSyrian Civil War.[4] Most of the border region on both sides was part of theIslamic State (IS) for some years, although its northernmost portion remained underKurdish control, forming the border betweenRojava andIraqi Kurdistan.[5] The Islamic State has since lost control of the border, which is controlled by Rojava and theSyrian government on the Syrian side, and theKurdistan Regional Government andIraqi government on the Iraqi side.
There are three official border crossings betweenSyria andIraq,[6] and one makeshift crossing: