Exhausted Syrians call for removal of crossings in opposition-controlled areas
Crossings between the areas under the control of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham and the Turkish-allied FSA factions are a burden on civilians, who feel like they are traveling from one state to another.
IDLIB, Syria — Syrians are finding it hard to move around in northwest Syria, where Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and Turkish-backed opposition factions control the crossings linking the areas in Idlib and the western countryside of Aleppo, and the Olive Branch and Euphrates Shield areas.
The Deir Ballut crossing is located between Atma in northern Idlib, which is under the control of HTS, and Deir Ballut in the southern countryside of Afrin, under control of the Free Syrian Army (FSA) factions.
The Ghazawiya crossing is located between the town of Darat Azza in the HTS-controlled western countryside of Aleppo and the Afrin area where the FSA is in control.
Syrian activists have often called on the Syrian opposition factions to remove the crossings between opposition areas, as they hinder the movement of civilians and increase division between the factions.
