According to the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA), government repair crews removed the Turkish military barriers in the area Ma’ar Hatat between Khan Sheikhoun and Ma’arat al-Numan, paving the way for the reopening of the highway on Friday.
A SANA reporter added that a number of Turkish soldiers still occupy some houses in the area, as they have only moved off the highway.
The Syrian government is preparing to fully reopen the Aleppo-Damascus Highway (M-5) for the first time in eight years, but some repair work is still needed on some parts of this imperative roadway.
The reopening of this highway comes just two weeks after the Syrian Arab Army retook the strategic city of Saraqib in the eastern countryside of the Idlib Governorate.