The Islamic State has begun posting Syrian children outside of car bomb factories as part of an attempt to stave off U.S.-led coalition airstrikes, according to the Pentagon.
Col. Ryan Dillon, spokesman for the anti-ISIS campaign, told the Washington Free Beacon on Friday the U.S. military has seen video of militants ordering young children to stand outside of several known factories around Raqqa that are used to manufacture vehicle-borne improvised explosive devices.
Dillon said while this has prevented coalition forces from directly striking the factories, American-led troops are able to take out many of the bomb-ridden vehicles before they reach crowds of civilians or Syrian Democratic Forces.
“We know of a particular factory where anything that drives out of there we’ll strike as soon as it’s clear and free from places where we think they’re going to have civilian casualties,” he said over the phone from Baghdad.
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