Posted on 08/20/2005 12:25:44 AM PDT by Straight Vermonter
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.
Hey, DUmmies! al-Qaeda is stealing your act!
Wait'll Sanford Wallace and Jeff Slaton get hold of THEIR addresses - the Viagra spam alone will paralyze 'em.
Oooooooo Scaaaary!
"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.
Al-Qaeda already has a media arm underming the troops. ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN, NYTimes, LATimes, etc. E-mailing would be redundant.
underming = undermining
There is a certain irony in that -- al Qaeda 'spamming'. Spam is shoulder 'ham'.
Considering pork products are forbidden to them, that would be about as bad as PETA throwing dead chickens at passing cars.
The media has been doing that all along.
They'll send out spam about an investment opportunity in Nigeria.
Think about this from a strategic point of view...
These terrorists are going to do for us what our media refuses to do, which is show the callous, hateful heart of Islamic terrorism.
Absolutely. It will backfire on them.
I thought you were going Flash Gordon on us there for a minute.
This would be fun if freepers could respond directly to them and their silly yammering.
There goes Chrissy Matthews argument about no terrorists being in Iraq
They may not realize people hate spammers possibly more than terrorists.
LOL! Yep!
"This would be fun if freepers could respond directly to them and their silly yammering."
Yes - they'll wet their jubbahs the day they send this filth to a FReeper.
I did some investigating and found some of the pictures they are going to terrorise americans with in the email
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