Daesh evacuates Syria-Lebanon border zone

Nearly two dozen buses and 11 ambulances on Monday carried an unknown number of Daesh militants and their families to eastern Syria from their enclave on the border with Lebanon.

Hezbollah and Syrian flags flutter on a military vehicle in western Qalamoun, Syria. August 28, 2017.
Reuters

Hezbollah and Syrian flags flutter on a military vehicle in western Qalamoun, Syria. August 28, 2017.

Syrian regime forces and Hezbollah on Monday prepared to escort Daesh militants to eastern Syria from their enclave on the border with Lebanon under an agreement following a week-long offensive against the terrorist group.

Daesh agreed to a ceasefire on Sunday, with the Lebanese army on one front and regime forces and Hezbollah on the other, after losing much of its mountainous enclave straddling the border, paving the way for its evacuation. Lebanese group Hezbollah has been a close ally of Syrian regime leader Bashar al Assad during Syria's six-year civil war.

The militants will move out of their positions to a point on the Syrian side of the border where they will board vehicles along with their families to transport them to Al Bukamal in east Syria, a Lebanese security source said.

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Evacuation point

Ambulances carrying 25 injured Daesh militants began moving to a marshalling point for the evacuation convoy, a media unit run by Hezbollah reported.

Buses to carry the militants and their family members also moved into the area, a witness said.

Nearly two dozen buses and 11 ambulances carried an unknown number of Daesh militants and their families on Monday.

It will end any militant presence on the border, an important goal for Lebanon and the Shia Hezbollah group.

It is the first time Daesh has publicly agreed to evacuate territory under force.

AP

This photo provided on Monday, August 28, 2017, by the regime-controlled Syrian Central Military Media, shows buses gathering before a planned evacuation of Daesh militants, in the mountainous region of Qalamoun, Syria.

"No bargain"

Both Hezbollah and Lebanese officials have billed the evacuation as a surrender by Daesh.

"We do not bargain. We are in the position of the victor and are imposing conditions," Lebanese Internal Security General Abbas Ibrahim said on Sunday.

The Lebanese army said its offensive against Daesh did not involve coordination with Hezbollah or the Syrian regime forces.

No spoils of war

Regime-owned Ikhbariya news channel reported on Monday that the group was burning its machinery and headquarters.

A witness in Syria at the position where buses were gathering to receive Daesh militants said black smoke was visible in the hills and regime forces and Hezbollah vehicles were present.

The deal involved Daesh revealing the fate of nine Lebanese soldiers it captured when it overran the town of Arsal in Lebanon in 2014.

The deal follows a Lebanese military campaign to drive out Daesh militants from an area in the country, about 120 square kilometres (46 square miles) in size, along the Syrian border.

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