ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – Heavy snowfall in the border areas between Iran and the Kurdistan Region has complicated movement. Border authorities are calling on people to not travel unless necessary. The Haji Omaran border crossing authority asked people in a statement to not visit the border crossing except for under extenuating circumstances due to the heavy snowfall and wind that has reduced their ability to see despite their team’s continuous attempt to clean the roads. Several mountainous areas of the Kurdistan Region faced heavy snowfall on Saturday and Sunday leading to the blockage of a number of roads. According to the information provided to Rudaw’s Bakhtiyar Qadir by the mayor of Haji Omaran town, around 60cm of snow has fallen in the town over the past 24 hours. The spokesperson to the Bashmakh border crossing also told Rudaw that snowfall has affected normal border crossing movement. “The road has been cleaned six times by our teams today. However, due to the continuation of the snow, there are complications,” Ismael Ali told Rudaw, noting that the roads are not suitable for driving. The Kurdistan Region has three official border crossings with Iran - Haji Omaran in Erbil province, Bashmakh in Sulaimani province, and Parvizkhan in the Garmiyan administration. There are also many other unofficial border points. Every year, due to heavy snowfall, cross border movement is halted between Iran and the Kurdistan Region temporarily.
