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Pentagon Calls Claims That It’s Providing Food, Water To ISIS ‘Rubbish’

REUTERS/ Omar Sanadiki.

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Jonah Bennett Contributor
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The Pentagon has called claims that it’s sending food and water to the Islamic State “rubbish” in a Twitter exchange Sunday.

The spokesman for Operation Inherent Resolve stated: “Complete Rubbish! FALSE. @CJTFOIR NOT providing food/water to #ISIS. Coalition mission is clear: #defeatdaesh!” in response to Dubai news service Orient News English tweeting that the U.S.-led coalition was dropping food and water on an ISIS convoy in Syria,

This 17-bus convoy has carried ISIS fighters and civilians from the Lebanon-Syria border further east into Syria where the terror group controls territory. Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Syrian government made a deal with ISIS allowing the group’s evacuation from the border region to Deir al-Zour after 400 ISIS fighters and their families on the border surrendered. The deal has infuriated the U.S.-led coalition. In particular, the U.S. protested that it had not agreed to any deal and moved to bomb the road on Aug. 29, making it more difficult for the convoy to complete its journey.

Although the U.S. has also threatened to bomb the convoy itself, the Associated Press reported that Syrian opposition activists believe many ISIS fighters and their families have already made it safely into ISIS territory.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said that ISIS fighters and families abandoned the buses and switched to 12 civilian vehicles to continue the journey.

Twitter users protested that a statement from the coalition opened the door for misinterpretation regarding provision of supplies.

“The Coalition has not struck the convoy,” Operation Inherent Resolve said in a statement. “In accordance with the law of armed conflict, the Coalition has struck ISIS fighters and vehicles, including a tank, armed technical vehicles, and transport vehicles seeking to facilitate the movement of ISIS fighters to the border area of our Iraqi partners. Food and water have been provided to the convoy.”

The last sentence in passive voice led users and also the Orient News English news service to believe the coalition was handing out food and water, but the Pentagon has vociferously denied that that is the case.

According to Army Lt. Gen. Stephen Townsend, commander of the U.S.-led coalition, the food and water originated from the Syrian government, and the U.S. military did not interfere in the delivery of the supplies.

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