ISIS fighters seize US drops weapons to Kurds in Syria

 Written by : Mohamed Abdel Fattah

Oct 21, 2014

Islamic State group fighters have seized earlier this week a cache of weapons airdropped by U.S.-led coalition forces that were meant to supply Kurdish fighters battling the extremist group.

The cache of weapons included hand grenades, ammunition and rocket-propelled grenade launchers, according to a video uploaded by a media group loyal to IS. The video appeared authentic and corresponded to the Associated Press' reporting of the event.

Meanwhile, the IS released video footage on Tuesday showing one of its fighters showcasing the captured weapons near Kobane. The weapons included grenades and RPG shells.


The air drops on Sunday were the first of their kind and followed weeks of US and coalition air strikes in and near Kobani, near the Turkish border. The US earlier said it had launched 11 air strikes overnight in the Kobani area.

Senior administration officials said that on Sunday night three American C-130 aircraft dropped 27 pallets of materials for the Kurdish fighters in the city.

The militant group has been trying to seize the town for more than a month now, causing the exodus of some 200,000 people from the area into Turkey. While Kurds are battling on the ground, a U.S.-led coalition is also targeting the militants from the air.

The airdrops was likely stir controversy with the Turkish government, which has opposed support for Kurdish military groups in Syria that it believes are affiliated with a Kurdish group that has conducted terrorist attacks inside Turkey for decades.

Kurdish activists were cited by some Arab television stations Monday as saying the new weapons supplies could contribute to tilting the balance of power in favour of the Kurds in Kobane

The U.S. Central Command said Tuesday, U.S. military forces conducted four airstrikes near Kobani that destroyed IS fighting positions, an IS building and a large IS unit.

Also Tuesday, Syrian government airstrikes hit a rebel-held town along the country's southern border with Jordan, killing at least eight people.

Sources

http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/syrian-airstrikes-kill-town-jordan-26339991

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/oct/20/us-drops-weapons-to-kurds-in-syria

http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/isis-terror/isis-weve-got-weapons-u-s-meant-kill-us-n230781

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