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This video, published by Iran's Press TV 16 Feb 2015, claims to show a US Chinook dropping weapons for ISIL militants.

According to Iraqi media, the video, released by the Iraq-based Hezbollah brigades, shows a US Chinook helicopter dropping two boxes full of weapons for ISIL militants [...] The video has been recorded on February the ninth [2015].

Iran's official line is that the US is behind ISIL, and this seems to be part of that propaganda campaign.

So, is that really what the video shows?

Oddthinking
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PointlessSpike
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    that video could be absolutely anything – user1666620 Jun 21 '16 at 09:03
  • I know. It does look like a Chinook, but that's about all the detail I could make out. I obviously don't believe it, but I imagine that plenty of people will. When it's Iran's state media, it's definitely notable. – PointlessSpike Jun 21 '16 at 09:05
  • Seriously guys, what's with the editing of the name? I was calling them what they call themselves, and I got two different edits for two different versions of the name! – PointlessSpike Jun 21 '16 at 11:49
  • Well, they call themselves "Islamic State in Iraq and Al-Sham" (Al-Sham being "Greater Syria"), so ISIS is more accurate. – user1666620 Jun 21 '16 at 11:50
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    @user1666620- "It kept to this decision when in late June 2014 the group renamed itself ad-Dawlah al-Islāmiyah (lit. Islamic State or IS)" – PointlessSpike Jun 21 '16 at 11:52
  • @PointlessSpike "IS" just sounds wrong and too short. They can call themselves also "GTGDDF", but what matters is how official governments refer to them, and turns out it's "ISIL". – Shadow The GPT Wizard Jun 21 '16 at 13:41
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    @ShadowWizard- Not all governments do. Many use Daesh, Ban Ki-Moon called it Un-Islamic Non-State, the BBC uses IS, Russia Today (Russian state media) calls it ISIS. In fact As far as I can see only the US calls it ISIL. – PointlessSpike Jun 21 '16 at 14:00

1 Answers1

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Regardless of what the video shows, the U.S. admitted this happened at least once and called it a mistake:

The Pentagon admitted on Wednesday that one of the airdrops of weapons intended for Kurds in the besieged Syrian town of Kobani almost certainly ended up in the hands of the Islamic State (Isis) fighters.

Alleged eyewitnesses say they are sure, U.S. calls it ridiculous:

“It is not in doubt,” said Mustafa Saadi, who says his friend saw U.S. helicopters delivering bottled water to Islamic State positions. He is a commander in one of the Shiite militias that last month helped push the militants out of the oil refinery near Baiji in northern Iraq alongside the Iraqi army.

The Islamic State is “almost finished,” he said. “They are weak. If only America would stop supporting them, we could defeat them in days.”

U.S. military officials say the charges are too far-fetched to merit a response. “It’s beyond ridiculous,” said Col. Steve Warren, the military’s Baghdad-based spokesman. “There’s clearly no one in the West who buys it, but unfortunately, this is something that a segment of the Iraqi population believes.”

[...] On the streets of Baghdad, most Iraqis see no other explanation.

“The image of the U.S. was damaged in the region, so they created Daesh in order to fight them and restore their image,” said Mohammed Abdul Khaleq, a journalist for a local TV station who was drinking coffee in a cafe favored by writers, most of whom said they agreed.

Basically, Iraqis are dead certain that this video shows purposeful aid to ISIS, and America says that's impossible, although their air drops have been received by ISIS in the past.

I was unable to find any American explanation of who this particular air drop was allegedly intended for, even though the Washington Post surely asked and the National Review could have pulled strings as well.

Avery
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