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| Syria-Lebanon-Iran |
| Fall Of Raqqa Delivers Sharp Blow To Islamic State's Media Operation |
| 2017-11-09 |
| [NPR.ORG] When the American-backed coalition of Kurdish and Arab militias took control of the Islamic State ...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allaharound with every other sentence, but to hear the pols talk they're not reallyMoslems.... 's de facto capital of Raqqa, Syria, last month, it dealt a major blow to the Lion of Islam organization and its self-declared caliphate. Counterterrorism experts warn the victory will not mark the end of ISIS, but they believe it will force the group to return to guerrilla activity, which was a feature of its earliest days. Some experts believe the group will become more dangerous as it inspires, and in some cases directs, turbans and lone-wolf holy warriors around the world. The U.S. Is Beating Back ISIS, So What Comes Next? Since the fall of Raqqa, the Islamic State's media operation, which was known for its sophistication, has gone almost silent. ISIS's media output has dropped significantly, according to BBC monitoring, a division of the British media organization that gathers and analyzes communications worldwide. Mina al-Lami of BBC Monitoring tells Here & Now's Robin Young that the loss of territory does not necessarily spell the end of ISIS's extensive media operation. "As it's losing territory, [ISIS] actually needs to make sure that that media operation is present and strong because IS is known for two things: for its violence and its sophisticated media operation," she says. "So in order to maintain that brand, in order to maintain followers and actually attract more recruits and be able to kind of instill fear, as it says, it definitely needs to stay alive and alive through that media operation." |
| Posted by:Fred |