ISIS captures U.S. Airdrop intended for Kurds


In a new video posted online, the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) claims it has captured weapons and ammunition dropped by the U.S. military that was intended for Kurdish forces defending an embattled Syrian city near the Turkish border.

The airdrops Sunday were the first of their kind and followed weeks of U.S. and coalition airstrikes in and near Kobani.

In the video, ISIS claims some of the weapons and ammunition was air-dropped by mistake on its positions in Kobani.

A senior administration official told CBS News on Sunday that the majority – but not necessarily all – of the bundles dropped by U.S. forces appeared to ‎make it to their intended targets.

“We are still assessing the completion of the mission but every indication that we have is that the vast majority of those bundles were successfully delivered to Kurdish forces,” the official said. “We’re still working through a complete assessment right now.‎”

Because the drops were made overnight, the Pentagon could not say with 100 certainty that they reached their intended destinations.

Idris Nassan, a senior Kurdish official from Kobani who is now in the Turkish town of Mursitpinar, confirmed the Kurdish fighters received the airdrop and asked for more weapons.

“We are not in need of fighters. We are able to defeat the terrorists of ISIS if we have weaponry – enough weaponry and enough ammunition,” he told The Associated Press.

Kurdish fighters tweeted messages of appreciation along with photos that apparently show that some of the air-dropped cargo – including M-16 guns and medical supplies – did reach its intended recipients.

Post navigation