IDLIB, Syria — Well-informed sources told Al-Monitor that Hayat Tahrir al-Sham’s security apparatus has shut down several gas stations near the Ghazawiya crossing in the western countryside of Aleppo. The crossing separates the HTS-controlled areas in Idlib and the western countryside of Aleppo from and the areas controlled by the Sham Legion, a faction affiliated with the Free Syrian Army.

The sources noted that said gas stations are owned by civilians with ties to the Sham Legion. HTS claims they are not civilians but Sham Legion operatives and that the stations are not licensed by the Salvation Government affiliated with HTS.

Civilians who were stuck at the Ghazawiya crossing, which was closed temporarily, told Al-Monitor, “HTS wants to shut down these gas stations because they sell fuel to civilians at a price lower than the HTS-affiliated Watad company, which monopolizes the sale of fuel in Idlib. Many civilians come to these stations from the HTS-controlled areas, which does not please HTS.”

The Sham Legion’s media office said in a statement, “Some civilian-owned gas stations are located between the HTS crossing and the [Syrian opposition’s] National Front for Liberation (NFL) checkpoint, to which the Sham Legion is affiliated. These stations sell fuel at the approved prices in the northern countryside of Aleppo, which is lower than the prices set by HTS’ Watad company. On Aug. 4, an HTS-affiliated security force, with armored vehicles and machine guns, advanced toward a gas station three kilometers from the NFL checkpoint.”