According to Kurdpress, citing Kurdistan Watch, the "Al-Walid" crossing on the border between Syria and the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP)-controlled area in Nineveh province is one of the least noticed border crossings in the border economy of the Kurdistan Region. A passage whose revenues are not officially announced or recorded despite significant financial turnover.
Ghalib Mohammad, a member of the Iraqi parliament, says that about 300 trucks carrying cement and other goods enter Syria through this crossing every day. According to him, scanner devices and other infrastructures are also active in this place, for which a fee is charged for their services; A matter that indicates the existence of a significant source of income outside the official regulatory mechanisms.
The importance of Al-Walid crossing increases when it is known that this crossing is not officially registered as a legal border and is rarely discussed in official circles. However, documents and receipts related to the crossing show that various amounts, including scanner service fees, are collected from trucks and business operators.
In one of these receipts, the name of a company named "Handdown" is registered as the operator. The noteworthy point is that this company seems to be the same "Handdown" with a similar logo, which has the exclusive franchise of "Duty Free" stores in Erbil Airport; It also operates another store outside the airport and near the Aynakave area of Erbil.
Accordingly, the al-Walid crossing is not simply an unknown border crossing, but appears to be part of a broader, opaque financial network that links informal border trade, KDP-influenced areas, and private companies active in the Erbil airport economy.
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