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US officials are inquiring why ISIS has acquired a large number of Toyota vehicles, ABC News reports. Toyota-made pickup trucks and sport-utility vehicles have been featured prominently in a number of ISIS propaganda videos (like the one below) used in Iraq, Syria, and Libya, according to ABC. Vehicles shown include the Hilux and the Land Cruiser.
"ISIS has used these vehicles in order to engage in military-type activities, terror activities, and the like," former US ambassador to the United Nations Mark Wallace told ABC News. "But in nearly every ISIS video, they show a fleet – a convoy of Toyota vehicles and that's very concerning to us."
Toyota said in a statement to Autoblog that it has a strict policy not to sell vehicles to groups who may use them for paramilitary or terrorist activities, but notes that it can't control if its vehicles are re-sold, stolen, or repurposed after they leave dealerships. (Read the full statement as a press release, below.)
"We are committed to complying fully with the laws and regulations of each country or region where we operate, and require our dealers and distributors to do the same," Toyota's statement says. "We are supporting the US Treasury Department's broader inquiry into international supply chains and the flow of capital and goods in the Middle East."
The vehicles shown in the ISIS videos are older Toyota models, according to ABC. Hyundais, Mitsubishis, and Isuzus are also depicted, though to a lesser extent. It's possible some of the Toyota vehicles are being smuggled into the region, an Iraqi military spokesman told the network.
