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Al-Qaeda propaganda units hit
22/03/2008 20:16 - (SA)
Baghdad - The US military said on
Saturday it had hampered al-Qaeda's ability to recruit new
members in Iraq by capturing or killing many of the people who
make slick videos used to attract disaffected young Muslims.
US military spokesperson Rear-Admiral Greg Smith said that in
the past year, 39 al-Qaeda members in Iraq responsible for
producing and disseminating videos and other material to
thousands of internet websites had been captured or killed.
"The power of this information is obvious. These guys are
using material that is used on websites to recruit and raise
money," Smith told Reuters in an interview.
"We think the vast majority of this media network has been
degraded at this point," he said, adding that the arrests had
led to fewer internet postings of al-Qaeda beheadings,
kidnappings and other attacks in Iraq. Losing the propaganda battle
US defence officials have in the past complained the
military was losing the propaganda battle against militants who
skilfully exploited communication tools like the internet.
Smith said there has been a steady decline in videos
broadcast on 5 000 pro-al-Qaeda websites since June 2007,
roughly coinciding with falling levels of violence across Iraq.
"Those responsible for the more finished product, the stuff
that really grabs the attention in mosques and elsewhere, we
have those people on the run," he said.
Smith said militant groups had become increasingly
sophisticated in their distribution of information, publishing
professional-looking videos with narration, music and special
effects of attacks on US soldiers and Iraqis. Allow for camera crews
"Most of al-Qaeda's co-ordinated attacks tend to be so
well-planned that they allow for camera crews to be on location
filming just before it happens," he said.
These media networks, found mainly in northern Baghdad, then
take the crude videos and re-package them into a more polished
product for distribution to websites, he said. The networks
also put out other material to educate and recruit new members.
Last December, US soldiers seized videos showing Iraqi
children younger than 11 carrying out mock kidnappings and
attacks. The US military described the content of the
confiscated material, which they said came from al-Qaeda, as the
most disturbing to date.
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