The ISIL propaganda machine has been badly damaged following the downfall of Raqqa with its flagship publication offline for its longest period, the US-led coalition said Monday.
The monthly multi-language online magazine Rumiyah – which has published articles urging ISIL supporters to carry out lone wolf knife attacks in their home countries – has not been published since September after the group's former de facto capital was taken over by US-backed Syrian fighters.
Online videos posted by ISIL sympathisers rarely contain original footage with most of it made up of previously posted material, said Colonel Ryan Dillon, a spokesman for the US-led coalition against ISIL in Syria and Iraq.
The message of ISIL broadcasts has also changed from the high point of its influence when it encouraged supporters to travel to Iraq and Syria to fight, said Col. Dillon. “Now it’s more geared towards those hardcore fighters – stay, fight – and its very much military-centric as opposed to home to Utopia.”
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Read more:
Syrian Kurdish YPG says areas east of Euphrates now free of ISIL
‘Around 4,000 ISIL fighters and their families escape from Raqqa’, report
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ISIL made Raqqa the centre of its self-styled caliphate and was the hub of its media operations, with thousands of militants travelling there to fight under the group’s flag providing linguistic expertise.
There was an “absolute dip” in propaganda output following its loss in October, although the ease of posting extremist content for anyone with access to a laptop or cell phone has meant that the propaganda has continued, albeit it at a lesser scale.
The driving out of the militants from its former strongholds has run alongside counter-propaganda efforts by the authorities in Saudi Arabia and the UAE, said Col Dillon.
Former US president Barack Obama in 2015 announced a joint US-UAE project for a new digital communications hub to counter terrorist propaganda, following an admission that the ISIL media operation had trumped efforts by its better-funded opponents.
The Sawab centre would use “direct online engagement to counter the terrorist messaging that is used to recruit foreign fighters, fundraise, and terrorise local populations,” the state department said.
The decline in ISIL propaganda efforts mirrors the decline of its military capability, with a sharp decline of airstrikes needed against the group, and the withdrawal of US troops who will not be replaced, said Col Dillon at a briefing in London. Syrian forces in Raqqa are now focused on clearing mines from homes in the city.
Having lost all of its main strongholds, the group was returning to its roots as an insurgent force with fewer than 3,000 active ISIL fighters remaining in Iraq and Syria, he said. “They are no longer a military threat, and no longer have an army.”
Brief scores:
Juventus 3
Dybala 6', Bonucci 17', Ronaldo 63'
Frosinone 0
The five stages of early child’s play
From Dubai-based clinical psychologist Daniella Salazar:
1. Solitary Play: This is where Infants and toddlers start to play on their own without seeming to notice the people around them. This is the beginning of play.
2. Onlooker play: This occurs where the toddler enjoys watching other people play. There doesn’t necessarily need to be any effort to begin play. They are learning how to imitate behaviours from others. This type of play may also appear in children who are more shy and introverted.
3. Parallel Play: This generally starts when children begin playing side-by-side without any interaction. Even though they aren’t physically interacting they are paying attention to each other. This is the beginning of the desire to be with other children.
4. Associative Play: At around age four or five, children become more interested in each other than in toys and begin to interact more. In this stage children start asking questions and talking about the different activities they are engaging in. They realise they have similar goals in play such as building a tower or playing with cars.
5. Social Play: In this stage children are starting to socialise more. They begin to share ideas and follow certain rules in a game. They slowly learn the definition of teamwork. They get to engage in basic social skills and interests begin to lead social interactions.
The Al Barzakh Festival takes place on Wednesday and Thursday at 7.30pm in the Red Theatre, NYUAD, Saadiyat Island. Tickets cost Dh105 for adults from platinumlist.net
MATCH INFO
Liverpool 0
Stoke City 0
Man of the Match: Erik Pieters (Stoke)
What to watch out for:
Algae, waste coffee grounds and orange peels will be used in the pavilion's walls and gangways
The hulls of three ships will be used for the roof
The hulls will painted to make the largest Italian tricolour in the country’s history
Several pillars more than 20 metres high will support the structure
Roughly 15 tonnes of steel will be used
Secret Pigeon Service: Operation Colomba, Resistance and the Struggle to Liberate Europe
Gordon Corera, Harper Collins
Bridgerton%20season%20three%20-%20part%20one
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirectors%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EVarious%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Nicola%20Coughlan%2C%20Luke%20Newton%2C%20Jonathan%20Bailey%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E3%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Manchester City (0) v Liverpool (3)
Uefa Champions League, quarter-final, second leg
Where: Etihad Stadium
When: Tuesday, 10.45pm
Live on beIN Sports HD
THE LIGHT
Director: Tom Tykwer
Starring: Tala Al Deen, Nicolette Krebitz, Lars Eidinger
Rating: 3/5
David Haye record
Total fights: 32
Wins: 28
Wins by KO: 26
Losses: 4
MATCH INFO
Real Madrid 2 (Benzema 13', Kroos 28')
Barcelona 1 (Mingueza 60')
Red card: Casemiro (Real Madrid)
Wydad 2 Urawa 3
Wydad Nahiri 21’, Hajhouj 90'
Urawa Antonio 18’, 60’, Kashiwagi 26’
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
MATCH INFO
Manchester City 4 (Gundogan 8' (P), Bernardo Silva 19', Jesus 72', 75')
Fulham 0
Red cards: Tim Ream (Fulham)
Man of the Match: Gabriel Jesus (Manchester City)
