Daesh fighters surrender Lebanon-Syria border enclave

Lebanese soldiers flash the victory sign in Ras Baalbek, Lebanon. (Reuters)

BEIRUT: A convoy of Daesh fighters and their families surrendered their enclave on the Lebanon-Syria border area on Monday and left for eastern Syria after a week-long battle.
Daesh had agreed a cease-fire on Sunday with the Lebanese army on one front and the Syrian army and Hezbollah on the other after losing much of its mountainous enclave straddling the border.
Lebanese officials said the evacuation was a surrender. “We do not bargain. We are in the position of the victor and are imposing conditions,” said security chief Gen. Abbas Ibrahim.
A total of 600 people, including both Daesh fighters and their family members, left in the convoy.
The militants will travel across Syria under heavy security escort to Daesh lines near Al-Bukamal in the east, a Lebanese security source said.
The Daesh fighters set fire to heavy equipment and weapons before they left their enclave.
A Lebanese military source said there had been no negotiation or coordination with Syrian forces or Hezbullah. “We heavily bombarded them and this is what accelerated the process of their surrender.”
The deal also involved Daesh handing over the bodies of eight Lebanese soldiers it captured and killed when it overran the town of Arsal in 2014. DNA tests are being conducted to reveal the identity of each body.
Some politicians asked why the terrorists were allowed to withdraw without being arrested. A military source told Arab News: “If the political decision had been in our hands, we would have waged this battle back in 2014, but they did not allow us to do so.”
Gen. Ibrahim said: “Lebanon is a country that doesn’t take revenge; it rather complies with the international law. Whoever falls into the hands of Daesh will certainly be killed, as they are criminals and murderers. This is what happened with our hero soldiers.”
Regarding the fate of photographer Samir Kassab and kidnapped bishops Boulos Yaziji and Youhana Ibrahim, Gen. Ibrahim said: “They were included in the recent negotiations but Daesh confirmed that it did not kidnap them and does not know anything about them.”
He said: “We are now reviewing their file from the beginning to determine the side that kidnapped them. I believe Daesh because it was collapsing and under pressure, therefore it cannot hide anything.”
Former Lebanese President Michel Sleiman said: “How can the Lebanese state stand still for the second time, after the withdrawal of terrorist Abu Malek Al-Tali and his group, allowing Daesh terrorists to leave Lebanon to where they choose without trials, especially after confirming the death of our soldiers.”
He claimed that their “withdrawal came implementing a bilateral agreement between Hezbollah and the Syrian regime,” which the Lebanese military denies.
Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil tweeted: “Our sorrow and mourning will not absolve us of the responsibility to reveal the truth and hold whoever killed our soldiers accountable. Only justice can bring comfort and peace to their souls.”
MP Mohammed Safadi asked for “an explanation regarding the departure of Daesh to Deir Ezzor and the agreement regarding their withdrawal.”