Care is required to sort the truth from the extremist propaganda

It seems that some media outlets have been unwittingly serving up ISIL propaganda, writes the columnist Tariq Al Homayed in the London-based daily Asharq Al Awsat. These outlets have given significant emphasis to news of ISIL militants receiving fighter aircraft pilot training. “But, in reality, the news doesn’t warrant more than a brief mention in a newspaper,” he noted.

The terrorist group has succeeded in harnessing western and Arab media to promote its power and brutality. Images of beheadings, slogans on walls and testimonies from militants forsaking their countries to join ISIL ranks have been instrumental in cementing the group’s reputation.

However, the commentator said, the media has to be careful when dealing with ISIL-related material. News of militants receiving pilot training were blown out of all proportion. It was a mere piece of propaganda that was soon refuted by the United States’ central command.

“The media, specifically Arab media, needs to reassess its reporting of ISIL in a way that ensures that it doesn’t promote the group any further,” the writer said.

“Western media has made the decision not to fall for ISIL’s propaganda following the decapitation videos, as the West realised that the purpose behind them is publicity.”

Other commentators discussed further recent stories published in the West, in particular a piece published by The New York Times titled “The Secret Casualties of Iraq’s Abandoned Chemical Weapons”.

It reported evidence from military commanders who had served in Iraq confirming the presence of large quantities of highly deadly chemical weapons, remnants of Saddam Hussein’s arsenal, located in part of the territory now controlled by ISIL. In a letter to the UN recently, the Iraqi government said some 2,500 corroded chemical rockets remained on the grounds and were subject to looting, the paper added.

Columnist Abdullah Al Otaibi wrote in Abu Dhabi’s Al Ittihad newspaper: “If ISIL hasn’t tapped into these weapons so far, nothing indicates that it would hesitate to use them at will. This would catapult terrorism in the region to unprecedented levels, especially as ISIL would draw encouragement from the international silence regarding the Al Assad regime’s repeated use of chemical weapons against the Syrian people.”

News of this sort gives way to questions that require precise answers: what types of weapon does ISIL have at its disposal? What types of weapon did it take over after the Iraqi army fled Mosul and other areas? Does ISIL have anti-aircraft weapons?

“This is crucial information for the members of the international antiterrorism coalition striking the group’s locations,” the writer said.

“To be successful, the war on terrorism must be comprehensive and decisive, without reservations or hesitation, and it must be combined with large-scale political solutions for the region’s crises.”

The fight against ISIL extremism must be taken seriously, the writer said. If it isn’t, this will only compound the threat of terrorism.

Translated by Racha Makarem

rmakarem@thenational.ae