US Reportedly Airdropped Weapons Into ISIS Hands | Common Dreams

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Fighters with the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (or ISIS) are claiming to have obtained a cache of weapons from the U.S. military after it airdropped bundles of small-arms ammunition and weaponry destined for Kurdish fighters in Kobani.

A video reportedly released by ISIS and posted to YouTube on Monday by A3maq News shows a masked man standing beside a parachuted bundle of boxes, which he proceeds to open revealing an array of weapons including mortars and grenades.

Speaking to reporters late Monday, Pentagon spokesman Rear Admiral John Kirby acknowledged that the weapons were "of the kinds of materials that [were] dropped," which he said included small-arms ammunition and weaponry. Kirby stated that the Pentagon is "very confident that the vast majority of the bundles did end up in the right hands," adding that they are "only aware of one bundle that did not."

Kirby said that the Pentagon is currently investigating the authenticity of the video.

This is not the first instance where it was revealed that the U.S. military is currently engaged in a war against ISIS fighters that are arming themselves with munitions from the U.S.. A recent report conducted by Conflict Armament Research found that ISIS fighters were using "significant quantities of US-manufactured small arms and have employed them on the battlefield."

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iraq syria us military war on terror isis

Fighters with the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (or ISIS) are claiming to have obtained a cache of weapons from the U.S. military after it airdropped bundles of small-arms ammunition and weaponry destined for Kurdish fighters in Kobani.

A video reportedly released by ISIS and posted to YouTube on Monday by A3maq News shows a masked man standing beside a parachuted bundle of boxes, which he proceeds to open revealing an array of weapons including mortars and grenades.

Speaking to reporters late Monday, Pentagon spokesman Rear Admiral John Kirby acknowledged that the weapons were "of the kinds of materials that [were] dropped," which he said included small-arms ammunition and weaponry. Kirby stated that the Pentagon is "very confident that the vast majority of the bundles did end up in the right hands," adding that they are "only aware of one bundle that did not."

Kirby said that the Pentagon is currently investigating the authenticity of the video.

This is not the first instance where it was revealed that the U.S. military is currently engaged in a war against ISIS fighters that are arming themselves with munitions from the U.S.. A recent report conducted by Conflict Armament Research found that ISIS fighters were using "significant quantities of US-manufactured small arms and have employed them on the battlefield."

Fighters with the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (or ISIS) are claiming to have obtained a cache of weapons from the U.S. military after it airdropped bundles of small-arms ammunition and weaponry destined for Kurdish fighters in Kobani.

A video reportedly released by ISIS and posted to YouTube on Monday by A3maq News shows a masked man standing beside a parachuted bundle of boxes, which he proceeds to open revealing an array of weapons including mortars and grenades.

Speaking to reporters late Monday, Pentagon spokesman Rear Admiral John Kirby acknowledged that the weapons were "of the kinds of materials that [were] dropped," which he said included small-arms ammunition and weaponry. Kirby stated that the Pentagon is "very confident that the vast majority of the bundles did end up in the right hands," adding that they are "only aware of one bundle that did not."

Kirby said that the Pentagon is currently investigating the authenticity of the video.

This is not the first instance where it was revealed that the U.S. military is currently engaged in a war against ISIS fighters that are arming themselves with munitions from the U.S.. A recent report conducted by Conflict Armament Research found that ISIS fighters were using "significant quantities of US-manufactured small arms and have employed them on the battlefield."

iraq syria us military war on terror isis