U.S. Blasts Deal Allowing Evacuation of ISIS From Lebanon-Syria Border Into Iraq
'Terrorists should be killed on the battlefield, not bused across to the Iraqi border,' tweeted U.S. envoy to the operation
A U.S. official has blasted a deal that led to the evacuation of hundreds of Islamic State group fighters and civilians from the Lebanon-Syria border to areas close to Iraq, saying the extremists should be killed on the battlefield.
- Over dozen killed, including Hezbollah fighters, in anti-ISIS offensive in Lebanon
- After week-long battle, ISIS loses Lebanese border, to evacuate militants to eastern Syria
- ISIS submits to cease-fire as Lebanon announces 'victory' in Syria border battle
The evacuation agreement, the first such publicized deal, had already angered many Iraqis who accused Syria and Lebanon's Hezbollah of dumping the militants on the Iraqi border rather than eradicating them.
The top U.S. envoy for the international coalition against ISIS, Brett McGurk, tweeted on Wednesday that it is "irreconcilable" that ISIS "terrorists should be killed on the battlefield, not bused across #Syria to the Iraqi border without #Iraq's consent."
McGurk added that the anti-ISIS coalition will help ensure that "these terrorists can never" enter Iraq.