A propaganda video released by the Islamic State group showing the deadly ambush of US troops in Niger raised fresh questions Monday as to the nature of the mission and why the soldiers had been left so vulnerable.&nbsp;

The distressing video, distributed by a pro-IS news agency, includes graphic footage taken by a soldier wearing a helmet camera.&nbsp;

It shows the chaos of the attack, including the solider wearing the camera being shot dead, with apparent IS fighters stalking past his body.

The Defense Department &#39;&#39;is aware of alleged photos and IS propaganda video from the October 4, 2017 terrorist attack in Niger. The release of these materials demonstrates the depravity of the enemy we are fighting,&quot; the Pentagon said in a statement.

The nine-minute video, set to Islamic chanting, includes an image of IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi and footage of pick-up trucks rolling through a desert landscape.&nbsp;

One of the vehicles is flying an IS flag and other trucks are packed with what appear to be fighters.

The October 4 attack occurred as a unit of 12 American special forces soldiers and 30 Nigerien troops returned from the village of Tongo Tongo, near the border with Mali.

They were attacked by a group of some 50 IS-affiliated fighters equipped with small arms, grenades and trucks mounted with guns.

Ill-equipped

The mission was supposed to be a low-risk patrol and the soldiers were clearly ill-equipped for the scale of the attack.&nbsp;

Footage shows the US troops wearing only light body armor, desperately seeking cover behind an unarmored SUV while coming under heavy fire.&nbsp;

In a frantic bid to find some sort of concealment, the troops deployed red smoke grenades but the parched landscape of scrub and dirt provided no effective cover.

At one point in the video, a US soldier is shot and a comrade attempts to pull him to cover behind the SUV.&nbsp;

As their position is about overrun, they have no choice but to try to run away, but there is nowhere to hide.

Four American soldiers were killed along with at least five Nigerien troops. The body of one US soldier, Sergeant La David Johnson, was not recovered until the following day.

&quot;Knowing that they were asked to try and complete and execute this type of mission with that type of equipment, I just could not believe it,&quot; Republican Congressman Marc Veasey told CBS news.&nbsp;

Questions remain about what intelligence failures may have occurred that allowed such a large attack, and why the soldiers did not get immediate back up or air support.&nbsp;

The Americans had been on a joint patrol with Nigerien counterparts they were training when they were ambushed by motorcycle-riding and car-driving gunmen in the Tillaberi region in the Niger&#39;s southwest.

The Pentagon is set to release the findings of an investigation into the incident in the coming days.&nbsp;

The distressing video, distributed by a pro-IS news agency, includes graphic footage taken by a soldier wearing a helmet camera

A propaganda video released by the Islamic State group showing the deadly ambush of US troops in Niger raised fresh questions Monday as to the nature of the mission and why the soldiers had been left so vulnerable. The distressing video, distributed by a pro-IS news agency, includes graphic footage taken by a soldier wearing a helmet camera. It shows the chaos of the attack, including the solider wearing the camera being shot dead, with apparent IS fighters stalking past his body. The Defense Department ''is aware of alleged photos and IS propaganda video from the October 4, 2017 terrorist attack in Niger. The release of these materials demonstrates the depravity of the enemy we are fighting," the Pentagon said in a statement. The nine-minute video, set to Islamic chanting, includes an image of IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi and footage of pick-up trucks rolling through a desert landscape. One of the vehicles is flying an IS flag and other trucks are packed with what appear to be fighters. The October 4 attack occurred as a unit of 12 American special forces soldiers and 30 Nigerien troops returned from the village of Tongo Tongo, near the border with Mali. They were attacked by a group of some 50 IS-affiliated fighters equipped with small arms, grenades and trucks mounted with guns. Ill-equipped The mission was supposed to be a low-risk patrol and the soldiers were clearly ill-equipped for the scale of the attack. Footage shows the US troops wearing only light body armor, desperately seeking cover behind an unarmored SUV while coming under heavy fire. In a frantic bid to find some sort of concealment, the troops deployed red smoke grenades but the parched landscape of scrub and dirt provided no effective cover. At one point in the video, a US soldier is shot and a comrade attempts to pull him to cover behind the SUV. As their position is about overrun, they have no choice but to try to run away, but there is nowhere to hide. Four American soldiers were killed along with at least five Nigerien troops. The body of one US soldier, Sergeant La David Johnson, was not recovered until the following day. "Knowing that they were asked to try and complete and execute this type of mission with that type of equipment, I just could not believe it," Republican Congressman Marc Veasey told CBS news. Questions remain about what intelligence failures may have occurred that allowed such a large attack, and why the soldiers did not get immediate back up or air support. The Americans had been on a joint patrol with Nigerien counterparts they were training when they were ambushed by motorcycle-riding and car-driving gunmen in the Tillaberi region in the Niger's southwest. The Pentagon is set to release the findings of an investigation into the incident in the coming days.

Islamic State video of Niger attack highlights US troops' vulnerability

The United States-led coalition carried out an air-strikes on Wednesday to block Islamic State group fighters evacuated from&nbsp;Lebanon&nbsp;from reaching eastern Syria, its spokesman told AFP.

Hundreds of IS fighters and civilians were evacuated on Monday from the border region between&nbsp;Lebanon&nbsp;and Syria under a ceasefire deal and were headed to an IS-held town near Syria&#39;s eastern frontier with Iraq.&nbsp;

&quot;To prevent the convoy from moving further east, we cratered the road and destroyed a small bridge,&quot; said coalition spokesman Colonel Ryan Dillon, without providing further details on the exact location.

&quot;IS is a global threat; relocating terrorists from one place to another for someone else to deal with is not a lasting solution,&quot; he added.

The evacuation deal was negotiated between IS and powerful Lebanese Shiite movement Hezbollah, which has intervened in the war in neighbouring Syria to prop up the Damascus government.

Hezbollah had fought a week-long offensive against IS on the Syrian side of the border with&nbsp;Lebanon, coinciding with a simultaneous assault by Lebanese troops on their side of the frontier.&nbsp;

The battles ended Sunday with the announcement of a deal that would see IS forces bussed hundreds of kilometres (miles) from Syria&#39;s western border with&nbsp;Lebanon&nbsp;to its eastern frontier with Iraq.

Jihadists and civilians, including children, left the border region two days ago, but on Wednesday their buses were still held up at the entrance to Deir Ezzor province.&nbsp;

&quot;We know and understand that there are civilians&quot; aboard the buses, Dillon said.

&quot;If we are able to strike them without harming civilians, then we will do so,&quot; he said, adding that the coalition was monitoring the convoy&#39;s movement in real time.

Asked whether the presence of civilians had prompted the coalition to bomb the road instead of the convoy itself, Dillon said that would be &#39;consistent&#39; with the protocol.

&#39;Killed on the battlefield&#39;

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights confirmed that there was a delay in the buses reaching Deir Ezzor province but did not specify why.&nbsp;

Syrian military sources reached by AFP declined to comment.

The evacuation agreement had sparked a furious reaction from the United States, which considers Hezbollah to be a &quot;terrorist&quot; organisation.&nbsp;

&quot;Irreconcilable ISIS terrorists should be killed on the battlefield, not bused across Syria to the Iraqi border without Iraq&#39;s consent,&quot; US presidential envoy to the anti-IS coalition Brett McGurk said Wednesday.&nbsp;

&quot;Our coalition will help ensure that these terrorists can never enter Iraq or escape from what remains of their dwindling &#39;caliphate&#39;,&quot; he wrote on Twitter.

It was also met with outrage in Iraq, with Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi describing it as &quot;unacceptable&quot; and an &quot;insult to the Iraqi people&quot;.&nbsp;

Iraqi forces, who reseized the second city Mosul from IS in July after a nine-month battle, are fighting the last pocket of jihadists in the northern province of Nineveh.

The deal was even controversial in&nbsp;Lebanon, where opponents were angry that IS fighters were travelling &quot;on air-conditioned buses&quot; after having been suspected of killing Lebanese troops.

On Wednesday,&nbsp;Lebanon&#39;s president and the chief of the army hailed the &quot;victory&quot; scored against IS in the campaign.

&quot;Today, we are announcing&nbsp;Lebanon&#39;s victory against terrorism. I dedicate this victory to all Lebanese, who can be proud of their army,&quot; President Michel Aoun said at the presidential palace in Baabda, east of Beirut.

After Sunday&#39;s deal, IS fighters who had surrendered led Lebanese authorities to human remains believed to belong to Lebanese soldiers kidnapped by IS in 2014.

The Lebanese army had called the fate of the soldiers a &quot;top concern&quot; in its weeklong offensive against IS.

IS fighters and civilians evacuated on Monday from the border region between?Lebanon?and Syria

The United States-led coalition carried out an air-strikes on Wednesday to block Islamic State group fighters evacuated from Lebanon from reaching eastern Syria, its spokesman told AFP. Hundreds of IS fighters and civilians were evacuated on Monday from the border region between Lebanon and Syria under a ceasefire deal and were headed to an IS-held town near Syria's eastern frontier with Iraq. "To prevent the convoy from moving further east, we cratered the road and destroyed a small bridge," said coalition spokesman Colonel Ryan Dillon, without providing further details on the exact location. "IS is a global threat; relocating terrorists from one place to another for someone else to deal with is not a lasting solution," he added. The evacuation deal was negotiated between IS and powerful Lebanese Shiite movement Hezbollah, which has intervened in the war in neighbouring Syria to prop up the Damascus government. Hezbollah had fought a week-long offensive against IS on the Syrian side of the border with Lebanon, coinciding with a simultaneous assault by Lebanese troops on their side of the frontier. The battles ended Sunday with the announcement of a deal that would see IS forces bussed hundreds of kilometres (miles) from Syria's western border with Lebanon to its eastern frontier with Iraq. Jihadists and civilians, including children, left the border region two days ago, but on Wednesday their buses were still held up at the entrance to Deir Ezzor province. "We know and understand that there are civilians" aboard the buses, Dillon said. "If we are able to strike them without harming civilians, then we will do so," he said, adding that the coalition was monitoring the convoy's movement in real time. Asked whether the presence of civilians had prompted the coalition to bomb the road instead of the convoy itself, Dillon said that would be 'consistent' with the protocol. 'Killed on the battlefield' The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights confirmed that there was a delay in the buses reaching Deir Ezzor province but did not specify why. Syrian military sources reached by AFP declined to comment. The evacuation agreement had sparked a furious reaction from the United States, which considers Hezbollah to be a "terrorist" organisation. "Irreconcilable ISIS terrorists should be killed on the battlefield, not bused across Syria to the Iraqi border without Iraq's consent," US presidential envoy to the anti-IS coalition Brett McGurk said Wednesday. "Our coalition will help ensure that these terrorists can never enter Iraq or escape from what remains of their dwindling 'caliphate'," he wrote on Twitter. It was also met with outrage in Iraq, with Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi describing it as "unacceptable" and an "insult to the Iraqi people". Iraqi forces, who reseized the second city Mosul from IS in July after a nine-month battle, are fighting the last pocket of jihadists in the northern province of Nineveh. The deal was even controversial in Lebanon, where opponents were angry that IS fighters were travelling "on air-conditioned buses" after having been suspected of killing Lebanese troops. On Wednesday, Lebanon's president and the chief of the army hailed the "victory" scored against IS in the campaign. "Today, we are announcing Lebanon's victory against terrorism. I dedicate this victory to all Lebanese, who can be proud of their army," President Michel Aoun said at the presidential palace in Baabda, east of Beirut. After Sunday's deal, IS fighters who had surrendered led Lebanese authorities to human remains believed to belong to Lebanese soldiers kidnapped by IS in 2014. The Lebanese army had called the fate of the soldiers a "top concern" in its weeklong offensive against IS.

Lebanon: US-led coalition carry out air-strikes to block Islamic State fighters

The Turkish military said 38 Islamic State militants have been killed in US-led coalition air strikes and clashes in northern Syria on Sunday.&nbsp;

The army said in a statement that 14 militants were killed while attempting to enter rebel-controlled Akhtarin and Turkmen Bareh villages, situated three kilometers east of Dabiq.&nbsp;

In the same area, 17 more were killed by coalition air strikes dubbed &quot;Euphrates Shield&quot; by the Turkish army.

The army also said two Syrian rebels had been killed and 19 injured in a fresh fight against the IS.&nbsp;

The military also targeted the Kurdish militia which is seen as a threat to Turkey.&nbsp;

According to Reuters, Turkey-backed Syrian rebels have been pushing towards Dabiq, an IS stronghold, since August. &nbsp;

(WION with inputs from Reuters)

The Turkish army also said two Syrian rebels had been killed and 19 injured during an offensive against Islamic State

The Turkish military said 38 Islamic State militants have been killed in US-led coalition air strikes and clashes in northern Syria on Sunday. The army said in a statement that 14 militants were killed while attempting to enter rebel-controlled Akhtarin and Turkmen Bareh villages, situated three kilometers east of Dabiq. In the same area, 17 more were killed by coalition air strikes dubbed "Euphrates Shield" by the Turkish army. The army also said two Syrian rebels had been killed and 19 injured in a fresh fight against the IS. The military also targeted the Kurdish militia which is seen as a threat to Turkey. According to Reuters, Turkey-backed Syrian rebels have been pushing towards Dabiq, an IS stronghold, since August. (WION with inputs from Reuters)

38 Islamic State fighters killed in northern Syria: Turkey

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Islamic State video of Niger attack highlights US troops' vulnerability

Lebanon: US-led coalition carry out air-strikes to block Islamic State fighters

38 Islamic State fighters killed in northern Syria: Turkey