ALEPPO, Syria — Business activity is resuming at the old market in al-Bab, as shopkeepers opened their doors to customers Oct. 31 for the first time in two years.
The market, in Aleppo province’s northeastern countryside, suffered large-scale destruction during the battles waged by the Free Syrian Army (FSA) and the Turkish army against the Islamic State. The battles began in November 2016 and ended in February 2017 when the FSA took control of the city. Although the Turkey-backed FSA has held the city since then, most of the shops in the covered marketplace remained closed because of the extent of the damage.
