U.S. officials have launched an inquiry, seeking answers from Toyota, the global automotive giant, regarding the conspicuous presence of their vehicles in ISIS propaganda. The sheer number of Toyota pickup trucks and SUVs prominently featured in the terror group’s videos originating from Iraq, Syria, and Libya has raised serious concerns and prompted a deeper investigation. This article delves into the perplexing issue of “Isis Toyota” and explores the questions being asked at the highest levels of counter-terrorism.
Toyota, while cooperating with the U.S. Treasury Department’s Terror Financing unit, maintains that they are unaware of how ISIS has acquired such a substantial fleet of their vehicles. This investigation is part of a broader U.S. initiative aimed at preventing Western-manufactured goods from falling into the hands of terrorist organizations.
Ed Lewis, Toyota’s Washington-based director of public policy and communications, stated, “We briefed Treasury on Toyota’s supply chains in the Middle East and the procedures that Toyota has in place to protect supply chain integrity.” He further emphasized Toyota’s strict policy against selling vehicles to individuals or entities that might utilize them for paramilitary or terrorist activities. However, Lewis admitted the inherent difficulty in tracking vehicles once they are stolen or resold through intermediaries.
ISIS militants race through Raqqa in a propaganda training film released online in September 2014. Toyota Hilux pickups and Land Cruisers are visibly prominent in the fleet of vehicles used.
The Toyota Hilux and Land Cruiser: Unofficial Vehicles of ISIS?
The Toyota Hilux, a rugged pickup truck known for its durability and off-road capabilities, and the iconic Toyota Land Cruiser SUV have become disturbingly synonymous with ISIS. These vehicles are frequently seen in ISIS propaganda videos, their truck beds armed with heavy weaponry and their cabs filled with militants.
Lukman Faily, the Iraqi Ambassador to the United States at the time of the initial report, highlighted the gravity of the situation. He stated that the Iraqi government believes ISIS has acquired “hundreds” of “brand new” Toyotas in recent years, in addition to repurposing older models. “This is a question we’ve been asking our neighbors,” Faily said, questioning the origin of these pristine, four-wheel-drive trucks.
ISIS propaganda showcases a disturbing pattern. Gunmen are depicted patrolling Syrian streets in both older and newer white Hilux pickups, adorned with the black caliphate seal. Convoys of gleaming tan Toyota Land Cruisers are shown traversing Libya. During an ISIS parade in Raqqa, a significant majority of the vehicles were identified as the familiar white Toyotas, bearing the group’s emblems. While other brands like Mitsubishi, Hyundai, and Isuzu were present, the Toyota presence was overwhelmingly dominant.
“Part of the ISIS Brand”: The PR Nightmare for Toyota
Mark Wallace, a former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations and CEO of the Counter Extremism Project, articulated the severe brand image problem this poses for Toyota. “Regrettably, the Toyota Land Cruiser and Hilux have effectively become almost part of the ISIS brand,” Wallace stated. He emphasized the concerning nature of ISIS utilizing these vehicles for military and terror activities, pointing out the ubiquitous presence of Toyota fleets in nearly every ISIS video.
Toyota maintains that many vehicles observed in ISIS videos are older models. Ed Lewis reiterated that Toyota has measures in place to prevent their products from being diverted for unauthorized military use. However, he acknowledged the limitations in completely controlling indirect or illegal channels through which their vehicles could be misappropriated.
Tracing the Supply Chain: A Complex Investigation
Questions surrounding ISIS’s acquisition of Toyota vehicles have been circulating for several years. A 2014 report by Public Radio International noted a U.S. State Department delivery of 43 Toyota trucks to Syrian rebels. An Australian newspaper report suggested that over 800 trucks reported missing in Sydney between 2014 and 2015 might have been exported to ISIS territories.
Tracking the precise routes these trucks take to reach ISIS hands has proven to be a complex challenge for U.S. and Iraqi officials. Toyota’s sales figures reveal a significant surge in Hilux and Land Cruiser sales in Iraq, tripling from 6,000 in 2011 to 18,000 in 2013, before declining to 13,000 in 2014.
Brigadier General Saad Maan, an Iraqi military spokesperson, suggested the possibility of middlemen smuggling trucks into Iraq from outside the country. He admitted the difficulties in controlling the border between Iraq and Syria amidst ongoing counter-terrorism operations, emphasizing the urgent need for answers regarding the Toyota supply chain.
Toyota’s Response and Ongoing Efforts
In its statement to ABC News, Toyota asserted its lack of awareness of any dealerships selling directly to ISIS and pledged immediate action, including termination of distribution agreements, should such activity be discovered. Toyota distributors in the region also denied knowledge of how the trucks reached ISIS.
Sumitomo, a Japanese conglomerate involved in vehicle shipping to the region, stated they had no way of knowing how vehicles are obtained for misappropriation outside of legal channels. A former Toyota dealership owner in Syria, Abdul Latif Jameel, a Saudi company, stated that their sales operations in Syria ceased in 2012 and the business was fully divested in October 2012.
Mark Wallace’s Counter Extremism Project had directly contacted Toyota earlier in the year, urging them to enhance tracking efforts, given that the trucks possess traceable identification numbers. While acknowledging Toyota’s lack of intentional profit from the situation, Wallace emphasized the company’s responsibility to investigate and implement effective policies to prevent future ISIS vehicle use.
Toyota responded to the Counter Extremism Project and ABC News with similar statements, highlighting the cessation of vehicle sales in Syria several years prior. Following Toyota officials’ briefing to the U.S. Treasury, Treasury officials indicated the meeting was “helpful.” Toyota refrained from disclosing further details of their interaction with Treasury to avoid compromising ongoing investigations or facilitating illicit groups’ infiltration of supply chains.
Treasury officials, while declining public comment on specific companies, affirmed their close collaboration with foreign counterparts and stakeholders to address the issue. The investigation into the “ISIS Toyota” phenomenon remains an ongoing effort, seeking to understand and disrupt the flow of vehicles to terrorist organizations and mitigate the unsettling association of a major automotive brand with extremist propaganda.
