It's not uncommon for the news to use stock footage. It really depends on what CNN said about the footage, or if it was just video used with voice over talking about increased troop levels.
It's always revealing to men under arms to recognize that if somebody wants to understand what is going on in a theater of war, frequently the first thing to consider is discounting everything in the press.
IMHO, there is a tremendous demand for trustworthy news. This demand obviously isn't being met considering reports such as this. I don;t expect it to happen anytime soon considering all the news cable channels have the audacity to play news 'reruns'.
In fairness to CNN, they were just using the footage as a background visual in this instance. My point was, why not something more recent?
However, last year, CNN used footage of my son's platoon that involved injured civilians over and over when reporting on Operation Steel Curtain. It was very deceptive and definitely anti-troops propaganda.
You cannot watch CNN and safely assume that the video they use matches the report they are reading.
It's common in lots of video. My favorite is the sunrise/sunset run in reverse.
Know how to tell the difference?
The sun always rises and sets at an angle from left to right. Anytime you see the sun rising or setting from right to left, it's a clip being run in reverse.
Watch for it. You'll be surprised how often it's done.