Al-Qaeda group to terrorise US

2005-08-19 09:39

Habib Trabelsi

Dubai - An al-Qaeda linked-group has launched what it calls a media jihad, or holy war, to "terrorise" United States-led forces in Iraq and their families by bombarding them with e-mails and by posting gruesome photos online.

The group, calling itself the "Brigade of Media Jihad", called on its militants to "post terrifying pictures on the internet in order to terrorise the enemy", said a statement on an Islamist website whose authenticity could not be verified.

"Our objective is to undermine the morale of our enemies, dash their hopes and dreams and reveal the truth of what is happening in Iraq. The media war is an integral part of the war on the ground," said the statement.

Breaking soldiers morale

The group said it has launched its media offensive in several languages "on hundreds of internet forums and through horrific e-mails sent to enemy soldiers and their families in order to terrorise them and break their morale".

"We have succeeded in attacking 1 600 forums and electronic addresses through which our messages have reached 60 000 people," it said.

The relatives of US soldiers are being shown "the reality that their sons are living" in Iraq, the group boasted.

The statement accused "Crusaders" of controlling the mainstream media "and so we decided to use an important outlet, the Internet, that they cannot control".

Islamist groups, including those linked to al-Qaeda, have posted hundreds of statements on the Internet over the past two years to claim attacks on US-led forces in Iraq and Iraqis and others who work for them.

Grim footage

The online statements are often accompanied by video to provide proof of bombings, kidnappings and killings.

The brigade claims to be part of the "World Islamic Media Front", which has uploaded on to Internet sites footage of military operations in Iraq, Afghanistan and other places where Islamist militants operate.

Last week, it posted a film, Top Ten, in which it showed a selection of attacks on US troops carried out by the Islamic Army in Iraq and the al-Qaeda organisation in the Land of Two Rivers, the group of al-Qaeda frontman Abu Musab al-Zarqawi.

The footage showed the bodies of alleged US soldiers, mutilated and burnt.

Arab satellite channels, mainly the Qatar-based al-Jazeera, regularly air the videos, making a point to say that their authenticity cannot be verified.

The US administration has repeatedly accused Arab television channels, particularly al-Jazeera, of being a key tool for extremist propaganda through its coverage of attacks in Iraq.

The brigade also published "a technical document to help the mujahedeen make the best use of the camera".

It advises militants to take close-ups of the site of an operation before it is carried out, "film as clearly as possible images of horror caused by the explosion and record the wills of martyrdom-seekers", or suicide bombers.

- AFP