The Islamic State has allegedly burned boxes of food aid coming from the United States that were intended for Syrian civilians.
The Independent reports that two trucks containing the food parcels were intercepted at an ISIS checkpoint manned by the group's "Hisba" police force in Syria's Aleppo province. The boxes had the markings of Koch Foods, a chicken company based in the state of Illinois in the US.
According to The Independent, the Islamic State seized and burned the boxes, which contained chicken meat, claiming that the animal products were not slaughtered according to Islamic law.
The International Business Times, however, said that the boxes had markings to show that the chicken meat was "halal," or had been slaughtered according to the dictates of Islamic Law.
An activist with the group Raqqa is Being Slaughtered Silently told The Independent that the Islamic State militants noticed that the boxes came from the US, and proceeded immediately to destroy the meat even though they were marked as 'halal.'
The Islamic State released photographs of the burning through affiliated social media accounts and sparked outrage on social media as Syria is facing a severe food crisis as a result of both the civil war between rebels and forces loyal to President Bashir al-Assad, and the conquest of ISIS.
According to a UN-backed report, the crisis in Syria has plunged 80 per cent of its citizens into poverty, reduced life expectancy by 20 years, and led to massive economic losses that have been estimated at over $200 billion.
This is not the first time that the Islamic State has interfered with donations intended for Syrian civilians. Reuters reported in February that images surfaced on social media showing food parcels being distributed by the United Nations' World Food Programme bearing the black flag and logo of the ISIS.
The UN condemned the apparent manipulation of food donations for starving Syrians.
"WFP condemns this manipulation of desperately needed food aid inside Syria," WFP Emergency Regional Coordinator Muhannad Hadi told Reuters.
