A human rights group claims that Islamic State militants are being trained to fly three warplanes that were stolen from Syrian army bases, the Associated Press reported.
IS militants are flying the planes at a low altitude to avoid detection by Syrian military radar, said Rami Abdurrahman, director of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which his based in the U.K.
The planes were seen flying this week over the Jarrah military airport located east of the city of Aleppo, Syria, the group said according to the AP. The same air base was captured in January by the Islamist extremists, who have since captured more territories and killed countless civilians in their attempt to enforce strict Islamic rule.
The jihadists are being trained by Iraqi pilots who served under Iraq's former leader Saddam Hussein and have now joined IS, also known as ISIS or ISIL, Abdurrahman told the AP.
The report has not been independently verified and it is not yet clear exactly which Syrian army air base the planes allegedly came from. Earlier this year, IS fighters stole jets from at least one captured air base in Syria's rebel-ridden Raqqa province, the AP reported. It is not known if those stolen jets were working.
The U.S. military said Friday it is not aware of any stolen Syrian military aircraft being used by the Islamic State, Reuters reported.
"We're not aware of ISIL conducting any flight operations in Syria or elsewhere," Patrick Ryder, a spokesman from Central Command, told the news agency.
The human rights group's claim comes as the U.S. and other world powers continue to carry out air strikes against IS targets in Iraq and Syria.
"We continue to keep a close eye on ISIL activity in Syria and Iraq and will continue to conduct strikes against their equipment, facilities, fighters and centers of gravity, whatever they may be," Ryder told Reuters.
