The Syrian regime has reopened the al-Tayha and al-Tabqa crossings, connecting areas under its control with those under the control of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), after a two-day closure.

A correspondent from Enab Baladi in al-Hasakah reported that passenger transport companies resumed their trips from SDF-controlled areas to Damascus on Wednesday, June 3.

Neither the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (the political umbrella of the SDF) nor the regime clarified the reasons behind the closure and reopening of the crossings.

Ahmad Mukhlef, a private car owner working on transporting passengers between al-Hasakah and Damascus, told Enab Baladi that he was informed he could resume his work and began transporting passengers yesterday morning.

Mukhlef explained that he could transport passengers from all categories, not just patients and students, pointing out that the bus stations were crowded with passengers waiting for buses to travel, and that the travel movement of buses had returned to normal.

Closure without a clear reason

On June 30, the regime closed the al-Tayha and al-Tabqa crossings, which are under the control of the Fourth Division, without disclosing the reason for this measure.

However, the regime allowed buses to pass in one direction only, towards Autonomous Administration areas, according to Enab Baladi’s correspondent.

The al-Tabqa and al-Tayha crossings are considered principal crossings connecting areas of the Autonomous Administration with areas under the control of the Syrian regime.

An employee in a transport company in Qamishli (who preferred to remain anonymous for security reasons) told Enab Baladi on the day of the closure that workers were informed by the company’s headquarters in Damascus to halt trips on Saturday, June 29.

The worker added that trips are now limited to patients and students and that they might resume after two days, provided that those wishing to travel present documents or medical reports to the company permitting them to travel to regime-controlled areas.

The al-Modon news website reported at the time that the SDF closed all crossings connecting it with regime-controlled areas just hours after the Autonomous Administration rejected steps towards normalization between the Syrian regime and Turkey.

Crossings between SDF and Syrian regime

Areas of the Autonomous Administration are connected to the regime-controlled areas through five official crossings: Al-Tayha crossing in Manbij, eastern Aleppo countryside, Bu Asi and al-Houra crossings in al-Tabqa, rural Raqqa, Akeirshi crossing south of Raqqa, and al-Salihiya crossing in Deir Ezzor.

Among these crossings, only two are commercial: al-Houra and al-Tayha, where customs points are present to collect fees on goods coming from regime-controlled areas for the benefit of both parties.

The other three crossings are designated for humanitarian purposes and passenger movement, where buses and pedestrians can cross, except for the al-Salihiya crossing in Deir Ezzor, which is restricted to pedestrian crossings only and does not allow vehicles and buses to pass through.