Earlier, the Syrian armed forces confirmed that large areas in Aleppo and Idlib had been liberated from terrorists. The state highway linking the Syrian capital Damascus with Aleppo, which was the country's largest city before the war, is officially open to civilian traffic without restrictions, the Syrian Minister of Transport Ali Hamoud said on Saturday.
A week following its capture by the Syrian army, the Damascus-Aleppo strategic highway was opened on Saturday for the travel movement between the country's south and north, according to the state news agency SANA. "The Damascus-Aleppo highway is officially open to traffic, and it is at the full disposal of citizens," the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) quoted the minister as saying.
The opening of the road for travel comes after the army cleared the road and removed the barricades as well as rehabilitating the damaged part. Earlier, Syrian troops have swept through many of the remaining militant-controlled areas in western and northwestern Aleppo province, capturing strategic areas including the towns of Anadan and Haritan, previously used by militants.
Syrian troops have also liberated wide areas of neighbouring Idlib province in northwestern Syria in recent weeks, moving to capture the crucial M-5 highway linking Aleppo and Damascus from militants. On Feb. 14, the Syrian army said it secured the vicinity of the Damascus-Aleppo highway, known as M5 highway, following battles against the rebels. The declaration comes following a two-month military campaign by the Syrian army to secure the M5, locally known as the international road, in the countryside of Idlib and Aleppo provinces in northern Syria.
Russia, Turkey and Iran are the ceasefire guarantors in the conflict-affected Syria. Moreover, Russia regularly carries out humanitarian operations across the country and helps Damascus in providing safe passage for the return of Syrian refugees.
Capturing the road is a strategic win for the Syrian army as the road links the political capital of Damascus with the industrial capital of Aleppo.