Coalition hits convoy of Daesh evacuees
Iraq and Hezbollah spar over evacuation deal with terrorists
AFP quoted Dillon as saying the raid was carried out “to prevent the convoy from moving further east; we punched a crater in the road and destroyed a small bridge.”
The raid comes amid anger in Iraq over the evacuation deal between Daesh and Hezbollah, under which Daesh fighters are being transported to Syria’s Deir Ezzor province, which borders Iraq.
Iraqi Prime Minister Haider Al-Abadi said: “This agreement is unacceptable, as we are fighting the terrorist group inside Iraq.” The deal is an “insult to the Iraqi people,” he added.
This sentiment was echoed by Dillon, who said: “Relocating terrorists from one place to another for someone else to deal with is not a lasting solution.”
Daesh and Hezbollah had agreed that upon the arrival of the convoy in Deir Ezzor, which is under Daesh control, the terrorist group would free Ahmed Mounir Maatouq, a hostage from Hezbollah, and hand over the bodies of two Hezbollah fighters and Iranian Hassan Hajji.
Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah responded to the Iraqi condemnation by saying the agreement “was to transfer a number of Daesh fighters and their families from Syrian territories to Syrian territories, not to Iraq.”
Nasrallah added: “They are 310 defeated and conquered militants. We moved them from a battlefront we are fighting in, to another front we are also fighting in.”
Hours before the coalition raid, Lebanon’s president and military declared victory against Daesh in Operation Barrens’ Dawn.
Address the Lebanese people and announcing the end of the operation, President Michel Aoun said: “The army proved to be strong as it is the only military force that defeated Daesh, and what distinguished this battle is the high level of professionalism. Do not allow political bickering to make you forget this victory.”
After his meeting with the president, Army Commander Gen. Joseph Aoun told reporters: “We besieged the terrorists from three sides, and we did not let them know where they were attacked from. The element of surprise led to their collapse. We did not arrest anyone because they were either killed or fled to Syrian territories.”
Asked why Daesh fighters were allowed to withdraw instead of being arrested, the commander replied: “We had the chance to win the battle without going on with it until the end, and this a great achievement for us.”
Gen. Joseph Votel, commander of US Central Command, on Wednesday congratulated the Lebanese military on the operation’s success.
The Lebanese National News Agency quoted Votel as saying the US will keep supporting the Lebanese Army with weapons and equipment to develop and strengthen its capabilities.
Gen. Aoun told Votel: “American aid to the army had actively contributed to the success of the operation.”
BEIRUT: The US-led coalition on Wednesday struck buses transporting Daesh fighters who were evacuated from the Lebanese-Syrian border to eastern Syria, said coalition spokesman Col. Ryan Dillon.