Drivers rejoice as authorities dismantle Damascus checkpoints

In his beloved yellow taxi, Abu Ayman zigzags through the streets of Syria's capital Damascus, delighted that the security checkpoints that choked the streets for years have been removed.

At 62, Abu Ayman has spent nearly every day of the last 40 years driving through Damascus looking for customers.

To protect the city, security forces set up checkpoints to meticulously search vehicles entering Damascus or moving across its congested streets.

Abu Ayman says his trunk is even damaged from being repeatedly slammed shut over the years after being searched at checkpoints.

In 2013, nearby checkpoints sealed off car access to the street where the petrol station is located, its accountant Abdel-Rahim Awwad says.

The grinning driver trucks cleaning supplies into the Qalamoun region northeast of Damascus two days a week and drops goods off in coastal Syria the other three days.

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