The road connecting areas controlled by the Islamic State group and those in the northern countryside of Aleppo under Free Syrian Army (FSA) control remain closed following heightened clashes between the two sides.
Fighting intensified near the border village of al-Raee when ISIS forces recaptured the town for the second time on May 2, after seizing the villages of Dodan, Ekdah, Hawar Kalas. For the past three weeks, all vehicles and trucks have been prevented from travelling the route between the two areas controlled by the FSA and ISIS.
The closure has had a sizable impact on residents in the eastern regions of Syria (Aleppo countryside, Raqqa, Deir-ez-Zor), as prices of food (especially bread) have risen sharply, amid fears that the conditions will continue as part of regional and international plans to besiege areas under ISIS control. Effects of the closure have also reached to areas controlled by the Kurdish self-administration.
Moreover, fears have reached to Syrian investors and traders in southern Turkey, especially Gaziantep city, who invest millions of dollars in the Syrian market. Food manufacturing in Gaziantep has already slowed earlier than expected as many factories have begun reducing their production due to the closure.
This article was edited by The Syrian Observer. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.
