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Islamic State threatens to repeat 9/11 in new video warning to America Isil supporters launch social media blitz with hashtag
4/14/2015
The video is a reminder of the power of Isil and Al-Qaeda to inspire followers around the world to 'lone wolf'[/size] Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant's social media have launched a new campaign threatening to repeat 9/11 and bring war to America. The campaign, given the hashtag #WeWillBurnUSAgain, is accompanied by a video compilation showing some of Isil’s “greatest hits”, including the beheadings of the American journalists James Foley and Steven Sotloff. “America thinks it’s safe because of the geographical location,” its voiceover says. “Thus you see it invades Muslim lands, and thinks that the army of jihad won’t reach in their lands. “But the dream of Americans to have safety became a mirage. The hashtag campaign was announced on April 8, last Wednesday, and launched on Saturday, when pro-Isil accounts posted thousands of tweets with the hashtag with variations on the same theme, of America’s vulnerability to lone wolf and other attacks. Altogether, the hashtag has been used more than 15,000 times, according to Site, the terrorism and extremism monitoring group.
The video, as well as reprising the 9/11 attacks on America, also shows parts of the mass beheadings of captives in Syria, and discusses the role of Ahmed Coulibaly, the French attacker who shot four hostages in a French kosher supermarket in January.
Coulibaly, who was killed at the scene, claimed allegiance to Islamic State. There is no mention of his friends the Kouachi brothers who were responsible for the Charlie Hebdo attacks at the same time - they claimed allegiance to al-Qaeda instead.
paris-coulibaly-3_3161111b.jpg
Amedy Coulibaly
The video also makes great play of recent computer hacking achievements of Isil supporters, who briefly took over US Central Command social media accounts and managed to leak personal details of US servicemen.
The video and the threats it contains are a reminder of the power of Isil and al-Qaeda to inspire followers around the world to “lone wolf” or sporadic attacks in the West.
"In recent weeks, about 10 Americans were indicted for attempts to act on behalf of the Islamic State, and there are many with every passing day that the group operates on Twitter,” Rita Katz, Site’s director, wrote.
Site highlighted a tweet which read: “We are all Lone Wolves and we will fight you all as you fight against us”.
Others showed pictures of wounded and disabled American soldiers from previous wars in the Middle East, and some offered crude portraits of President Barack Obama as the devil.
However, the campaign also marks something of a change of strategy, in which Isil has previously focused its efforts on the “near war” in Syria and Iraq, against Shia and other local enemies, while al-Qaeda focuses on the “far war” against the West.
Isil is currently losing ground in Iraq, where it lost Tikrit to government and Shia militia forces, and has also been pushed back in high-profile parts of Syria like Kobane, though it has also made advances elsewhere.
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4/14/2015
The video is a reminder of the power of Isil and Al-Qaeda to inspire followers around the world to 'lone wolf'[/size] Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant's social media have launched a new campaign threatening to repeat 9/11 and bring war to America. The campaign, given the hashtag #WeWillBurnUSAgain, is accompanied by a video compilation showing some of Isil’s “greatest hits”, including the beheadings of the American journalists James Foley and Steven Sotloff. “America thinks it’s safe because of the geographical location,” its voiceover says. “Thus you see it invades Muslim lands, and thinks that the army of jihad won’t reach in their lands. “But the dream of Americans to have safety became a mirage. The hashtag campaign was announced on April 8, last Wednesday, and launched on Saturday, when pro-Isil accounts posted thousands of tweets with the hashtag with variations on the same theme, of America’s vulnerability to lone wolf and other attacks. Altogether, the hashtag has been used more than 15,000 times, according to Site, the terrorism and extremism monitoring group.
The video, as well as reprising the 9/11 attacks on America, also shows parts of the mass beheadings of captives in Syria, and discusses the role of Ahmed Coulibaly, the French attacker who shot four hostages in a French kosher supermarket in January.
Coulibaly, who was killed at the scene, claimed allegiance to Islamic State. There is no mention of his friends the Kouachi brothers who were responsible for the Charlie Hebdo attacks at the same time - they claimed allegiance to al-Qaeda instead.
paris-coulibaly-3_3161111b.jpg
Amedy Coulibaly
The video also makes great play of recent computer hacking achievements of Isil supporters, who briefly took over US Central Command social media accounts and managed to leak personal details of US servicemen.
The video and the threats it contains are a reminder of the power of Isil and al-Qaeda to inspire followers around the world to “lone wolf” or sporadic attacks in the West.
"In recent weeks, about 10 Americans were indicted for attempts to act on behalf of the Islamic State, and there are many with every passing day that the group operates on Twitter,” Rita Katz, Site’s director, wrote.
Site highlighted a tweet which read: “We are all Lone Wolves and we will fight you all as you fight against us”.
Others showed pictures of wounded and disabled American soldiers from previous wars in the Middle East, and some offered crude portraits of President Barack Obama as the devil.
However, the campaign also marks something of a change of strategy, in which Isil has previously focused its efforts on the “near war” in Syria and Iraq, against Shia and other local enemies, while al-Qaeda focuses on the “far war” against the West.
Isil is currently losing ground in Iraq, where it lost Tikrit to government and Shia militia forces, and has also been pushed back in high-profile parts of Syria like Kobane, though it has also made advances elsewhere.
[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
