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Al Qaeda in Iraq's media cells and organization. Click to view. |
Posted on 10/29/2007 6:56:21 AM PDT by Tennessean4Bush
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Al Qaeda in Iraq's media cells and organization. Click to view. |
Coalition and Iraqi special operations forces continue to target al Qaeda's propaganda capabilities. Over the summer, US forces scored a major victory with the capture of Khalid Abdul Fatah Da’ud Mahmud al Mashadani, also known as Abu Shahed. Mashadani was al Qaeda's minister of information and served as the go between for al Qaeda in Iraq leader Abu Ayyub al Masri and Osama Bin Laden and Ayman al Zawahiri. The capture of Mashadani has shed light on al Qaeda's media operations, and has allowed Multinational Forces Iraq to roll up al Qaeda's media cells throughout Iraq.
"Since the surge began, we’ve uncovered eight separate al Qaeda media offices and cells, have captured or killed 24 al Qaeda propaganda cell members and have discovered 23 terabytes of information," said Rear Admiral Gregory Smith, the chief Public Affairs Officer for Multinational Forces Iraq in a press briefing. Most recently, four members of al Qaeda's al Furqan media cell in Mosul were captured, "including the media emir of Mosul, the former head of Mosul’s media cell who had established the al Qaeda communications hub in Baghdad, a foreign terrorist from Saudi Arabia who is proficient in video editing and special effects, and a computer graphics specialist," the Armed Forces Press Service reported. Cells have also been broken up in Baghdad, Diyala, Tarmiyah, Samarra and Karma.
The Mosul cell members echoed recent statements made by Osama bin Laden on the dire situation in Iraq. "(They) have indicated that al Qaeda propaganda efforts have been degraded in recent months,” Smith said. "There is almost nothing left of (al Qaeda in Iraq)."
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Al Furqan's cell in Mosul. Click to view. |
The video editor and graphics technician are the lowest ranking and most easily replaceable members of the media cells, according to Nick Grace, the host of Global Crisis Watch and an expert on al Qaeda's media operations in an interview with The Long War Journal. "The cell members are entry level positions in al Qaeda's media wing, and start off in the field with al Furqan or al Fajr," said Grace. "If they show skills they may then graduate to work for As Sahab, al Qaeda's parent media organization, and work in Pakistan." Grace also noted the effort al Qaeda put into its propaganda programs, and likened the city cells to local television news stations subordinate to US television networks.
The Al Furqan Institute for Media Production, along with the al Fajr Media Center, is one of two al Qaeda media organizations that operate inside Iraq. A recent Radio Free Liberty / Radio Europe study on insurgent media described al Furqan as "the primary media production center for ISI [Islamic State of Iraq]/Al Qaeda. It produces virtually all ISI/al Qaeda films, audio and videotaped addresses, and the ISI/al Qaeda-affiliated periodical Biographies Of Notable Martyrs. An al Qaeda-affiliated center, al Furqan distributes its products to websites through the al Fajr Media Center."
Kavkaz Center, a website run by Chechen al Qaeda, noted the Islamic State of Iraq formed al Furqan in November of 2006, when al Qaeda was at its zenith in Iraq. "This Institute is a milestone on the path of Jihad; a distinguished media that takes the great care in the management of the conflict with the Crusaders and their tails and to expose the lies in the Crusaders' media," the ISI press release noted.
The scope of al Furqan's operations was highlighted during a raid on one of its offices in Samarra in June 2007. The cell "produced CDs, DVDs, posters, pamphlets, and web-related propaganda products and contained documents clearly identifying al Qaeda in Iraq's intent to use media as a weapon," said Brigadier General Kevin Bergner, a spokesman for Multinational Forces Iraq during a briefing in July. "The building contained 65 hard drives, 18 thumb drives, over 500 CDs and 12 stand-alone computers... In all, this media center had the capacity of reproducing 156 CDs in an eight-hour period and had a fully functioning film studio."
US forces also found "a sampling of other propaganda documents: a letter that gives instructions on how to use the media to get out the al Qaeda message most effectively; an al Qaeda activity report highlighting car bomb, suicide, missile, mortar, sniping and IED attacks; a propaganda poster that encourages filming and distributing videos, showing al Qaeda attacks on coalition forces; and a pamphlet and a CD cover of their sniper school."
Long War Journal Ping
How many of these cavemen are AP or Reuters correspondents?
The lower one looks exactly like rage-boy. Notice how physically repulsive these monsters are. They also look drugged, and without a doubt brainwashed.
You were right all along. I was slow to believe you.
Help wanted........no experience necessary....lots of advancement possibilities.......possible virgin perks...
Bet his cellphone had Pelosi and Harry Reid on speed dial.
Does it include how to make use of frantic mothers of children AQ has just murdered?
How to fabricate photo ops to AQs benefit?
How to make AQ soldiers out be civilians?
My niece’s husband deployed to Kuwait in late September. He is over 40 men who escort convoys throughout Iraq. He is still waiting to see his first action in the war. We, of course, are praying he sees no action.
You jest, but I would not be surprised if one day we do find some direct subversion from Senatorial staff.
“Khalid Abdul Fatah Da’ud Mahmud al Mashadani”
aka, Abdul Fatass.
What an ugly bunch! No wonder they want to go to Paradise and get their virgins. They’re too durn repulsive lookin’ to ever get a date!
There is no doubt. Yon and others have reported that while they are imposing strict moral laws on the general populace with penalty of beheading if caught, al Qaeda is notorious for their drug use, their employ of prostitutes, etc.
No doubt.
Hmmm. Care to share what you are doing. FReepmail if you like.
Victories In Our Internet War Against Islamic Terrorism (Thank you Freepers!)
Al Qaeda is broken.
The video editor and graphics technician are the lowest ranking and most easily replaceable members of the media cells, according to Nick Grace, the host of Global Crisis Watch and an expert on al Qaeda's media operations in an interview with The Long War Journal... Grace also noted the effort al Qaeda put into its propaganda programs, and likened the city cells to local television news stations subordinate to US television networks....not unlike the way that US television news is subordinate to al Qaeda's media cells. Thanks T4B!
You know, one thing I have been thinking of that you might view as a corollary to your efforts in defeating al Qaeda by shutting down their websites, is to give an Internet voice to the muslim villagers who have endured such evil at the hands of al Qaeda in Iraq. Not just provide a blog and a digital camera, but also a PR hand so that the masses of muslims across the world understand precisely what living with al Qaeda would be like. To me, one of the most strategic things that has been accomplished is the hundreds of thousands of angry muslims, both Sunni and Shia, who will be witnesses to their muslim brethren both to the unspeakable evil of al Qaeda and the breathtaking goodness and justice of the American soldier. The source material is there, I am sure there are willing witnesses (many of them are over the intimidation at this point), what is lacking is the well-oiled machine to give them an electronic voice and an ability to promote it.
It is merely a seed or germ of an idea, and you may think of several inherent flaws in the idea, but I offer it up so that perhaps you or others might give more context and substance to it. Perhaps it will become one that will give us another positive thing to do (in addition to yours) that may contribute to liberty and humanity in this long war with muslim extremism.
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