IS convoy reportedly crosses Syria, at Russia’s request - Polidicks

[QUOTE]DAMASCUS — An Islamic State (IS) convoy stuck in the middle of the Syrian desert for more than two weeks because of American air strikes finally reached eastern Syria late on Wednesday night, according to reports from citizen journalist groups in the area.The convoy reached territory held by the IS, despite vows by the American-led coalition fighting the group that it would not be allowed to do so. There was no official confirmation of the reports, which were from credible contacts in eastern Syria that were monitored in the Syrian capital of Damascus. A spokesman for the US-led coalition, Colonel Ryan Dillon, said early yesterday in Baghdad that he had no comment on the matter. The reports said that the remnants of the convoy, which originally carried 600 IS fighters and their family members, had reached Mayadin in eastern Deir al-Zour province, near the border with Iraq. The coalition announced last Friday that it was removing surveillance aircraft from the vicinity of the convoy at the request of Moscow, because Russian warplanes were involved in supporting a Syrian army advance into Deir al-Zour province. That advance took the Syrian forces directly past the area where the convoy was stranded, near the town of Sukhna. The convoy, originally consisting of 17 vehicles — buses and ambulances — and escorts from the Lebanese Hezbollah militia group, had been stuck near Sukhna, on the main highway from Damascus to the city of Deir al-Zour, where the Syrian army claimed it ended a blockade by the IS last week. The convoy was whittled down to 11 vehicles when six returned to Syrian government territory in western Syria, said coalition officials. In a deal brokered by Hezbollah, the IS militants and their families had been allowed to leave an area on the Lebanese-Syrian border in exchange for turning over the bodies of Lebanese soldiers and Hezbollah militants, as well as an Iranian officer of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps. They were promised free passage to the town of Abu Kamal, in the southern part of Deir al-Zour province. But the American-led coalition bombed the highway to prevent the convoy from advancing and carried out air strikes against IS units said to be coming to the convoy’s aid. It did not strike the convoy itself because of the presence of women and children. Coalition officials said the American military and its allies were not a party to the deal among Hezbollah, Lebanon, Syria and the IS, and did not want to let the IS fighters return to the battlefield. Iraq also criticised the deal because the convoy’s intended destination, Abu Kamal, is near Iraqi battlefronts against the IS. According to the anti-government sources monitored in Damascus, once the American surveillance aircraft withdrew from the area on Sept 8, the convoy was free to move, but Hezbollah extracted further concessions from the IS, including the release of a Hezbollah prisoner of war, who was turned over alive. In exchange, Hezbollah turned over two IS leaders to the group. The convoy was allowed to cross through government-held territory to Mayadin, near the Iraqi border, about halfway between Deir al-Zour and Abu Kamal. Anti-government sources estimated that the convoy had been reduced to about 200 fighters, as well as family members; others had sneaked away.[/QUOTE] [url]http://www.todayonline.com/world/asia/convoy-reportedly-crosses-syria-russias-request[/url]

Tough call. lots of IS, but lots of women and children too. I think the best call was made, if we want to lead by example we can't go slaughtering women and children in the name of victory.

[QUOTE=Faunze;52684844]Tough call. lots of IS, but lots of women and children too. I think the best call was made, if we want to lead by example we can't go slaughtering women and children in the name of victory.[/QUOTE] No but it certainly doesn't hurt to stop them from rejoining their lines. Its not good to keep letting IS hide behind women and children.

[QUOTE=Cyke Lon bee;52685013]No but it certainly doesn't hurt to stop them from rejoining their lines. Its not good to keep letting IS hide behind women and children.[/QUOTE] So what are you suggesting exactly? Drop bombs on children to not set a precedent?

[QUOTE=F.X Clampazzo;52685053]So what are you suggesting exactly? Drop bombs on children to not set a precedent?[/QUOTE] Like I said, prevent them from joining their lines. That doesn't mean killing everyone, it means hitting technicals and blocking their path, like we've been doing before other parties got involved.

I guess we learned from the evacuation of Kuwait. Can't keep any impression of good conscience dropping bombs on a partially civilian convoy.