According to KurdPress, Ali Hama Saleh, the head of the Patriotic Position Movement and a member of the Kurdistan Regional Government Parliament, posted a message on his Facebook page addressed to Bafel and Qobad Talabani, claiming that the official customs office at the Bashmaq border has effectively been destroyed and the smuggling route has officially been activated.

He wrote: “I saw with my own eyes that Bashmaq customs office no longer exists. Bashmaq, which once had a monthly income of more than 30 billion dinars, is now destroyed and the smuggling route has officially replaced it.»

Ali Hamma Saleh also claimed that traders are being told not to clear their goods through official customs because it is cheaper to transport them through the smuggling route. According to him, this process covers a wide range of goods, including household appliances, food, rice, sugar, oil, meat, poultry, dairy products and other items.

The regional parliamentarian claimed that while only three trucks were present on the official customs route, more than 100 trucks were traveling through the smuggling route.