US Military Aircraft Allegedly Airdrops Weapons In ISIS-Held Territory; US Officials Brush Off 'Nuisance Attacks'

An Iraqi government official has accused the U.S. of dropping weapons and military equipment into the hands of ISIS militants southeast of Tikrit in Iraq's Salahuddin province. Iraqi MP Majid al-Ghraoui, a member of the Security and Defence Committee revealed that the information about the alleged weapons drop-off has reached the committee.

According to Iranian state media, a U.S. military aircraft was once spotted dropping weapons in territories held by ISIS. The Iraqi volunteers fighting against the militants in the Yathrib and Balad districts in the Salahuddin Province of Iraq reported the weapons airdrop.

Previous reports have indicated that the U.S. had erroneously dropped weapons outside Kobani in Syria. Iraqi intelligence sources had said in November that the U.S. was "actively supplying" ISIS militants with weapons. London-based organization Conflict Armament Research had earlier revealed ISIS fighters using significant quantities of weapons including M16 assault rifles with the label "property of the U.S. government", Press TV reported.

Global Research said the U.S. has not admitted to arming or training ISIS militants but General Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, has declared before the Senate Armed Services Committee that U.S. allies in the Middle East are funding the group. The Iraqi Security and Defence Committee will set a meeting in the next few days to follow up on the reported weapons airdrop. Al-Ghraoui said the incident is "continuously happening." He also alleged that the U.S. is trying to obtain more benefits from the government to create military bases in Iraq.

Meanwhile, U.S. senior defence officials have recently confirmed that Iraq's al-Assad airbase was attacked on an almost daily basis by ISIS mortar. However, they brushed off the attacks as "completely ineffective."

Col. Steve Warren has described the incidents as "nuisance attacks" and confirmed that no U.S. personnel or property was under direct fire during the incidents. NBC News reported that there are 320 Marines at the base north of Baghdad to train and advise Iraqi government forces. As ordered by U.S. President Barack Obama, American troops on the ground is expected to reach 3,000.

Contact email: r.su@ibtimes.com.au