ALEPPO, Syria — On Dec. 1, the military council of the town of Marea — located in an Euphrates Shield area in the northern Aleppo countryside — opened the Towayhina business crossing, near Towayhina village. The crossing links areas held by the Free Syrian Army (FSA) with areas under the control of the Syrian Democratic Forces southeast of the city.
Merchants in Euphrates Shield areas were satisfied with the decision to inaugurate the Towayhina crossing, given its central location, proximity to the regime-held areas in Aleppo and trade convoys’ easy access to Aleppo's western countryside areas and Idlib— both of which are under the opposition’s control. Also, the tariffs imposed on goods are lower than those imposed at other crossings in the Euphrates Shield areas, such as Em Jlud crossing, south of Ghandoura town, and Al-Shat crossing, west of Azaz city.