The United States military’s humanitarian effort in Syria is being used by U.S. officials to highlight how the war against the Islamic State terrorist group is being carried out through a third party.
In a written statement, two U.S. officials said the humanitarian effort in Syria is being carried out with the “extended effort” of the United Nations, a sign that the U.S. is involved in the coalition to defeat ISIS in a positive manner, The Washington Post reported.
“This effort, based on high priority diplomatic discussions and continued coordination with the Syrian opposition and UN-led aid missions, is helping to ensure that civilians in liberated territory are able to live in safe and stable environments,” the two officials said in the statement, the newspaper reported.
Last week, a U.S. official said that the humanitarian campaign is a “strategic way for the coalition to frame our ongoing campaign against ISIS,” according to the Post.
The statement came as the Islamic State celebrated its anniversary of the beheading of American journalist James Foley in 2014 in a propaganda video.
The International Business Times reported that, in the video, an ISIS-fighter refers to a “liberated” area in northern Syria, which the Islamic State reportedly called a “caliphate.”