Pentagon leader urges troops to kill ISIS fighters with shovels

A U.S. military leader’s Facebook post is raising some eyebrows for ordering troops to beat ISIS fighters with a shovel should they fail to surrender.

Senior Enlisted Advisor to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Army Command Sergeant Major John Wayne Troxell wrote ISIS has two options, "surrender or die!"

"If they surrender, we will safeguard them to their detainee facility cell, provide them chow, a cot and due process," Troxell writes. "HOWEVER, if they choose not to surrender, then we will kill them with extreme prejudice, whether that be through security force assistance, by dropping bombs on them, shooting them in the face, or beating them to death with our entrenching tools."

RELATED: The battle against the Islamic State

Asking about the post, ABC News was told by Troxell’s spokesman that his comments "emphasized the sincerity of the coalition's resolve in defeating ISIS…” adding, his “intent is to communicate the tenacity of the warrior ethos, that even when faced with the brutal and unforgiving nature of combat, will use every resource available to fight and win.”

On the USO Holiday Tour, a video obtained by the Washington Post shows Troxell telling troops defeating ISIS may involve "beating them to death with your entrenching tool."

Advertisement