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.