HTS restrictions line up people in qQueues in Syria’s northwest
IDLIB, Syria (North Press) – During the past 48 hours, the checkpoints of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS, formerly Jabhat al-Nusra) forced the residents of the area, coming from the northern countryside of Aleppo to Idlib, to line up in long queues to cross to its areas at the Deir Ballut crossing, which is under its control.
“HTS militants deployed several checkpoints at the Deir Ballut crossing between Idlib and Aleppo, in addition to subjecting cars and residents who wanted to enter Idlib to accurate inspections,” Local sources told North Press.
“The crossing witnessed a huge congestion after the HTS militants tightened control on the passengers, and seized some vehicles under the pretext of smuggling fuel through tanks of the cars,” the sources added.
HTS prevents the entry of fuel and some types of vegetables through the Deir Ballut and al-Ghazawiya crossings into its areas of control in Idlib, where companies affiliated with it such as Watad Petroleum Company monopolize the markets.
Yesterday, activists publicized on social media the news that ” HTS assault a woman smuggling a container of diesel through the mountains linking between the city of Afrin, north Syria and Idlib.
HTS members deliberately punctured the container and poured diesel on the ground after insulting the woman, according to the activists.
“HTS, through its security apparatuses, is tightening the screws on residents by imposing its provisions, ideas and religious beliefs, in addition to the intervention of its militants in the details of their lives, which are similar to the practices of the Islamic State Organization “ISIS”,” Residents of Idlib said.
In late November, HTS raised the customs tax on goods coming from the northern regions of Aleppo by 30%.