Special to WorldTribune.com

NICOSIA — Islamic State of Iraq and Levant continues to gain control of advanced U.S. weapons.

ISIL said it captured U.S. military equipment in northern Syria. The equipment, dropped by U.S. Air Force planes, was meant for Kurdish fighters in the Kobane enclave near the Turkish border.

“Weapons and munitions dropped by American planes and landed in the areas controlled by the Islamic State in Kobane,” ISIL said.

On Oct. 21, ISIL, which launched an offensive in Kobane, released a video that showed U.S. rockets and grenades meant for Kurdish fighters. The video also displayed a large amount of U.S. equipment.
“These are the bombs that the American forces dropped for the Kurdish parties,” an ISIL fighter said. “They are spoils of war for the holy warriors.”

The United States has reported an airlift of weapons and supplies for Kurdish fighters in Kobane. The airlift has been accompanied by daily air strikes on ISIL positions.

Washington has not acknowledged the ISIL seizure of U.S. weapons in northern Syria. But the Syrian opposition said ISIL might have captured equipment from several U.S. air drops.

“We hope for more [air drops of weapons],” Kurdish militia spokesman Redur Xelil said.

“We feel very confident that, when we air drop support as we did into Kobane we’ve been able to hit the target in terms of reaching the people we want to reach,” White House Deputy National Security Advisor Ben Rhodes said.

ISIL has captured thousands of U.S. main battle tanks, artillery, armored personnel carriers and combat vehicles. The opposition said ISIL has also acquired at least three Syrian Air Force fighter-jets.

“ISIL forces continue to threaten [Kobane],” U.S. Defense Department spokesman John Kirby said. “We’re continuing to hit targets in and around there to help the Kurdish forces as they continue to fight against ISIL. So it’s still a very mixed, contested environment.”