Coalition aircraft struck a small bridge and cratered a road to hinder the convoy's progress. The coalition also struck a separate group of Daesh militants traveling to meet the convoy, according to Col. Ryan Dillon, a coalition spokesman.
Hundreds of Daesh terrorists were evacuated Monday from the border region between Lebanon and Syria under a ceasefire deal and were headed to an Daesh-held town Syria's eastern frontier with Iraq.
Some 600 militants were allowed to leave the Lebanon-Syria border as part of a deal, negotiated by Hezbollah, in exchange for identifying the location of the remains of Lebanese soldiers captured by Daesh in 2014 and later killed. The deal also provoked controversy in Lebanon, as some have voiced opposition to negotiations with the terrorists.
U.S. officials have also criticized the transfer of hundreds of militants and civilians who are bound for a Daesh-held area near the Iraqi border, saying the extremists should be killed on the battlefield. The evacuation came as part of a controversial deal brokered by the Lebanese Hezbollah group to clear Daesh from an area along the Lebanon-Syria border.
The coalition is reluctant to strike the actual convoy of evacuees because the fighters have wives and children traveling with them, said a U.S. official, who wasn't authorized to discuss military details and requested anonymity.
[dailysabah.com]
30/8/17
No comments:
Post a Comment