IS convoy traveling to eastern Syria split in two: Coalition
A convoy of Islamic State (IS) fighters traveling to eastern Syria has split in two, with some buses remaining in the desert and others returning to government-held areas.
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region (Kurdistan 24) – A convoy of Islamic State (IS) fighters traveling to eastern Syria has split in two, with some buses remaining in the desert and others returning to government-held areas, the US-led coalition said on Sunday.
The militant group agreed to evacuate territory, for the first time, from a district on the Syria-Lebanon border on Aug. 28.
The Syrian army and Hezbollah, a Shia Lebanese group, had prepared to transport the 17-bus IS convoy containing about 300 fighters and their families to an unspecified area in eastern Syria believed to be near Deir al-Zor.
On Wednesday, the coalition conducted air strikes to block the convoy of fighters from reaching the eastern part of Syria.
The strike destroyed a small bridge and caused a crater in the road that the buses intended to take.
In an emailed statement to Reuters, the coalition said it was against the evacuation deal, adding it was “not a lasting solution.”
“One group remains in the open desert to the northwest of al-Bukamal, and the other group has headed west toward Palmyra,” the statement read.
The coalition said they had contacted Russia to inform the Syrian government of the coalition’s stance, reiterating they would still not let the convoy pass.
In a statement on Saturday, Hezbollah warned civilians would be killed if the buses were struck as there were “elderly people, pregnant women, and casualties” on board.
The coalition reassured it would not target the convoy directly, but said it had struck nearly 85 IS militants and 40 vehicles near the fleet of buses.
Meanwhile, opposition activists on Saturday claimed dozens of extremists had abandoned the buses and drove into parts of Deir al-Zor despite warnings from the coalition.
