Jump to content

Mass media use by the Islamic State

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
(Redirected from Al-eetisam Foundation)

IS is known for its extensive and effective use of propaganda.[1] It uses a version of the Muslim Black Standard flag and developed an emblem which has clear symbolic meaning in the Muslim world.[2]

Videos by IS are commonly accompanied by nasheeds (chants), notable examples being the chant Dawlat al-Islami Qamat, which came to be viewed as an unofficial anthem of IS,[3] and Salil al-Sawarim.[4]

Traditional media

[edit]

Al-Furqan Foundation for Media Production

[edit]

In November 2006, shortly after the group's rebranding as the "Islamic State of Iraq", it established the Al-Furqan Foundation for Media Production (Arabic: مؤسسة الفرقان للإنتاج الإعلامي, romanizedMuasasat al-Furqān lil'īntāj al'ilāmī), which produces CDs, DVDs, posters, pamphlets, and web-related propaganda products and official statements.[5] It is the primary media production house of the Islamic State and responsible for production of major media releases, including the statements of the spokesman and leader of the group.

It was founded by the Iraqi man Dr Wa'il al-Fayad, known as Abu Muhammad al-Furqan. He got his name "al-Furqan" from his role in founding this media house, which was named after the 25th sura of the Quran Al-Furqan.[6] It is the oldest media production house for the Islamic State, being founded in November 2006 to release media for the Islamic State of Iraq. The earliest release indexed by the SITE Intelligence Group is on 21 November 2006, documenting the storming of a police station in the Iraqi town of Miqdadiyah.[7][8]

Al-Furqan is considered to be a considerable innovation in jihadist media, with Kavkaz Center describing it as "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 crusader's media."

In October 2007, the Long War Journal reported on United States Army raids targeting al-Furqan media cell members across Iraq, including in Mosul and Samarra.[9] Between August 2013 and March 2014 they released the 22 part series Messages from the Land of Epic Battles.[10] On 2 September 2014 SITE Intelligence Group discovered the beheading video called A Second Message to America,[11][12] about the death of Steven Sotloff.[13][14][15]

Since then, Al-Furqan has released videos of their operations across Iraq and Syria, as well as execution videos directed to governments around the world. In April 2019, Al-Furqan released a video Interviewing Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, which is their last video as of today.

Al-Furqan also produces media in the form of audio, which consists mostly of recordings of IS leaders and spokesmen giving speeches, as well as producing a single nasheed under their name called "Ya Allah Al-Jannah" (O Allah, (we ask you for) Paradise), sung by now-dead member of IS, Uqab Al-Marzuqi.

Ajnad Foundation for Media Production

[edit]
Ajnad Foundation logo 2014-15
Ajnad Foundation logo 2016-Present

It began to expand its media presence in 2013 with the formation in March of a second media wing, Al-I'tisam Media Foundation,[16][17] and another IS media foundation, the Ajnad Foundation for Media Production (Arabic: مؤسسة أجناد للإنتاج الإعلامي; muasasat ajnād lil'īntāj al'ilāmī), established in January 2014, which specialises in acoustics production for nasheeds with no music, as to adhering to the prohibition of music instruments in Islam,[18] and Qur'anic recitation.[19][20]

The organization notably starts its career around in August 20, 2013, when the Islamic State started gaining territory.[21] After Al-Furqan used the nasheed "Ya Dawlatal Islam, Ya Dawlatal Iqdam" as the sole intro for its 22-part series, the famous nasheed "Ummati Qad Laha Fajrun", one of the first nasheeds made by the Ajnad Foundation appeared in the last 2 parts of the series. Later on, the nasheed "Ya Dawlatal Islam, Ya Dawlatal Iqdam" would be recorded once again by Ajnad, featuring a brand-new melody and minor alteration of the original lyrics, as well as being sung by Maher Meshaal.

Ajnad Foundation would once again rise to fame when Al-Furqan released Saleel As-Sawarim 4 in 2014, which documents IS operations in Iraq and Syria, as well as premiering the famous nasheed Saleel As-Sawarim.[22] Another nasheed, called Qariban Qariba (Soon, Soon) would be released, often played alongside the group’s more unusual executions, including the burning of a Jordanian pilot, the burning of a Turkish and a Kurdish soldier, an execution where several prisoners of war were put into a car then shot with a rocket, and another execution where several prisoners would be drowned in a cage.[23] Since then, more famous nasheeds would be released by Ajnad until its hiatus during 2020, when the last known nasheed released by then is "Gharibun Dammani Sha'uthul-Bawadi".

In the beginning, munshideen (singers) like Al-Mo'taz bil-'Aziz sang for the foundation. Uqab Al-Marzuqi sang 3 nasheeds, 2 recorded under Ajnad and another under Al-Furqan. After his death, Ajnad released a nasheed to commemorate him.

Some of the known later Ajnad munshideen (singers) are Abu Yasser, who produced more than 40 nasheeds under the labels of Al-Ma'sadah, As-Siddiq, Masami' Al-Khayr Media Centre(s) (all affiliated with Al-Qaeda) and Ajnad Foundation. Khilad Al-Qahtani is also a symbol for Ajnad, as he produced more than 10 nasheeds which is frequently used by IS media centers, as well as getting the honor of being mentioned by Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi in an interview with Al-Furqan Media Production.[24] Maher Meshaal is another Internet-famous munshid who emigrated to the Islamic State from Saudi Arabia in 2013, and sang for Ajnad until his killing in 2015.[25] Abul Hasan Al-Muhajir also was a munshid and the narrator for most Ajnad intros; as with other organizations, before he was promoted to spokesman of the Islamic State. Abu Hamzah al-Qurashi, the spokesman for the Islamic State until his demise in 2021 also produced around 15 nashids during his Ajnad career.[26] Others like Abu Ghuraba' Al-Yamani, Abu Bara' Al-Madani, Nimr Al-Muhajir and others are also IS members that emigrated and joined the organization; though their career is not as famed as other munshids. As of now, some of the munshids still remain anonymous to this day.

Ajnad Foundation also produces full Qur'an recitations, which are recited by Abul-Hasan al-Hasani, Abu 'A'ishah, and other unknown people. They have produced 114 Surahs in the recitation of Hafs 'An Asim, and Surah Al-Ra'd in Warsh 'An Nafi'.

On 4 May 2016 Al-Battar Foundation (IS-supporter media) launched an application on Android called "Ajnad" that allows its users to listen to the songs of the Ajnad Foundation on their mobile phones.[27] The foundation has many singers, the most famous of whom are Abu Yasir and Abul-Hasan al-Muhajir.[28]

al-Hayat Media Center

[edit]
Logo of the "Inside the Caliphate/Khilafah" series produced by AlHayat Media Center

In mid-2014, ISIL established the al-Hayat Media Center, which targets Western audiences and produces material in English, German, Russian, Urdu, Indonesian, Turkish, Bengali, Chinese, Bosnian, Kurdish, Uyghur, and French.[29] When ISIL announced its expansion to other countries in November 2014 it established media departments for the new branches, and its media apparatus ensured that the new branches follow the same models it uses in Iraq and Syria.[30] Then FBI Director James Comey said that ISIL's "propaganda is unusually slick," noting that, "They are broadcasting... in something like 23 languages".[31]

In July 2014, al-Hayat began publishing a digital magazine called Dabiq, in a number of different languages including English.[32] According to the magazine, its name is taken from the town of Dabiq in northern Syria, which is mentioned in a hadith about Armageddon.[33] Al-Hayat also began publishing other digital magazines, including the Turkish language Konstantiniyye, the Ottoman word for Istanbul,[34] the French language Dar al-Islam,[35] and the Russian language Istok (Russian: Исток журнал).[36] By late 2016, these magazines had apparently all been discontinued, with Al-Hayat's material being consolidated into a new magazine called Rumiyah (Arabic for Rome).[37]

Asdaa Foundation

[edit]

Like the Ajnad Foundation, the Asdaa Foundation (Arabic: مؤسسة أصداء) or Asedaa Foundation also produces Anasheed (Islamic chants). Some of their Anasheed is used in IS's execution videos, a popular one is their human slaughterhouse execution video released during the time of Eid Al-Adha in 2016.[38] The background nasheed they used was "We Came To Spread Terror Everywhere", produced by the Asdaa Foundation.

The foundation is the closest counterpart to Ajnad in producing Islamic State nasheeds, only difference being Ajnad is directly linked to the Islamic State while Asdaa is only classified as a "supporter organization" (munaser/munasera). One of its munshids, Abu Hafs is a renowned munshid who sings around 70 nasheeds, who as well works with Ajnad Foundation in some instances.

Another Yemeni munshid, Abu Musab Al-Adani, worked temporarily with Asdaa Foundation before defecting back to AQAP, from which he previously defected from.

al-Azaim Foundation for Media Production

[edit]

al-Azaim Foundation for Media Production, run by Islamic State in Khorasan Province, publishes Voice of Khorasan magazine, which covers political and religious topics and also attempts to recruit and incite followers to carry out attacks (anti-Taliban narratives).[39][40] Islamic State in Hind Province (Hind Wilayah) publishes Voice of Hind magazine, propaganda which encourages Indian Muslims to be recruited and wage jihad, and carry out attacks in the country.[41] It was first published in 2020, and it also supports global warfare against Taliban in Afghanistan.[42]

I'lam Foundation

[edit]
Logo of I'lam Foundation

I'lam Foundation, announced in 2018, is an online multilingual platform mostly used by the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, specifically the Tajikistan region of the organization,[43] and the IS–K.[39] In May 2021 it launched al-Hijrateyn, a weekly podcast which presents news, statistics and commentary from the Al-Naba newsletter, it focuses on solutions to moral dilemmas as interpreted by the Islamic State.[44][45]

IS, in a mid-March 2020 Al-Naba article, described the fearful reaction to COVID-19 as a divinely wrought "painful torment" against Western "crusader nations".[46] An early February article praised God for the same against Iran's Shiites and China.[47]

Along with Fahras and al-Ru'ud (al-Raud Media),[48] these propaganda repositories connected with channels designed to lure online audiences to hotspots of pro-IS communication, a method of designing and maintaining propaganda distribution networks.[49]

At-Taqwa Media Foundation

[edit]

At-Taqwa Media Foundation is an IS-sympathizer/supporter outlet[50][51] which has published about targeting attacks in the Arabian Peninsula[52] and specifically during the 2022 FIFA World Cup.[53]

Networks

[edit]
Logo of al-Bayan

The group also runs a radio network called Al-Bayan, which airs bulletins in Arabic, Russian and English and provides coverage of its activities in Iraq, Syria and Libya.[54] Huroof is an app created by the Office of Zeal, an Islamic State controlled agency,[55] in order to teach kids Arabic, and to recruit young children into becoming Islamic State soldiers.[56]

Social media

[edit]

IS's use of social media has been described by one expert as "probably more sophisticated than [that of] most US companies".[1][57] It regularly uses social media, particularly Twitter, to distribute its messages.[57][58] The group uses the encrypted instant messaging service Telegram to disseminate images, videos and updates.[59]

The group is known for releasing videos and photographs of executions of prisoners, whether beheadings, bombings, shootings, caged prisoners being burnt alive or submerged gradually until drowned.[60] Journalist Abdel Bari Atwan described IS's media content as part of a "systematically applied policy". The escalating violence of its killings "guarantees" the attention of the media and public.[61]

Along with images of brutality, IS presents itself as "an emotionally attractive place where people 'belong', where everyone is a 'brother' or 'sister'". The "most potent psychological pitch" of IS media is the promise of heavenly reward to dead jihadist fighters. Frequently posted in their media are dead jihadists' smiling faces, the Muslim 'salute' of a 'right-hand index finger pointing heavenward' (pointiong towards where Allah is), and testimonies of happy widows.[61] IS has also attempted to present a more "rational argument" in a series of videos hosted by the kidnapped journalist John Cantlie. In one video, various current and former US officials were quoted, such as the then US President Barack Obama and former CIA Officer Michael Scheuer.[62]

It has encouraged sympathisers to initiate vehicle-ramming and attacks worldwide.[63]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b Khalaf, Roula; Jones, Sam (17 June 2014). "Selling terror: how Isis details its brutality". Financial Times. Archived from the original on 14 April 2016. Retrieved 18 June 2014.
  2. ^ Prusher, Ilene (9 September 2014). "What the ISIS Flag Says About the Militant Group". Time. Archived from the original on 9 September 2014.
  3. ^ Marshall, Alex (9 November 2014). "How Isis got its anthem". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on 29 August 2020. Retrieved 8 September 2020.
  4. ^ Schatz, Bryan. "Inside the world of jihadi propaganda music". Mother Jones. Archived from the original on 10 February 2015. Retrieved 8 September 2020.
  5. ^ Roggio, Bill (28 October 2007). "US targets al Qaeda's al Furqan media wing in Iraq". Long War Journal. Archived from the original on 9 January 2017. Retrieved 7 May 2023.
  6. ^ "IS confirms death of propaganda chief Abu Mohammed al-Furqan". BBC News. 11 October 2016. Archived from the original on 22 July 2023. Retrieved 22 July 2023.
  7. ^ "Search - Furqan Foundation (ISI)". Archived from the original on 2023-07-22. Retrieved 2023-07-22.
  8. ^ "Al-Furqan Media Presents a Video from the Islamic State of Iraq, "Release the One who Suffers," Featuring the Storming of an al-Muqdadiyah Police Station". Site Intel Group. 21 November 2006. Archived from the original on 22 July 2023. Retrieved 22 July 2023.
  9. ^ Roggio, Bill (28 October 2007). "US targets al Qaeda's al Furqan media wing in Iraq". Long War Journal. Archived from the original on 3 July 2018. Retrieved 22 July 2023.
  10. ^ Zelin, Aaron Y. (12 August 2013). "al-Furqan Media presents a new video message from the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham: "Messages from the Land of Epic Battles"". Jihadology. Archived from the original on 30 March 2023. Retrieved 22 July 2023.
  11. ^ Margolin, Emma; Taintor, David (September 2, 2014). "ISIS video appears to show execution of U.S. journalist Steven Sotloff". MSNBC. Retrieved 26 October 2024.
  12. ^ Gladstone, Rick (September 2, 2014). "Video Claims to Show Beheading of U.S. Reporter Steven Sotloff by ISIS". The New York Times. Retrieved 26 October 2024.
  13. ^ Lewis, Paul; Ackerman, Spencer; Cobain, Ian (2 September 2014). "Steven Sotloff: Isis video claims to show beheading of US journalist". The Guardian. Retrieved 9 September 2014.
  14. ^ McClam, Erin (2 September 2014). "ISIS Beheads American Journalist Steven Sotloff, Monitoring Group Says". NBC News. Retrieved 9 September 2014.
  15. ^ Carr, David (7 September 2014). "With Videos of Killings, ISIS Sends Medieval Message by Modern Method". The New York Times. Retrieved 9 September 2014.
  16. ^ Bilger 2014, p. 1.[full citation needed]
  17. ^ Zelin, Aaron Y. (8 March 2013). "New statement from the Global Islamic Media Front: Announcement on the Publishing of al-I'tiṣām Media Foundation – A Subsidiary of the Islamic State of Iraq – It Will Be Released Via GIMF". Jihadology. Retrieved 24 June 2014.
  18. ^ Kadivar, Jamileh (2021-03-22). "Daesh and the Power of Media and Message". Arab Media & Society (30). doi:10.70090/JK20DPMM. ISSN 1687-7721. OCLC 816372411. Archived from the original on 2024-06-10. Retrieved 2024-06-10.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: ignored DOI errors (link)
  19. ^ مصطفى, أحمد عبد الرحمن (18 March 2015). داعش من الزنزانة إلى الخلافة (in Arabic). حروف منثورة للنشر الإلكتروني. Archived from the original on 3 September 2024. Retrieved 7 May 2023.
  20. ^ "ISIS's Propaganda Machine". Crethi Plethi. 2014. Archived from the original on 12 June 2018. Retrieved 9 September 2023.
  21. ^ "ISIL Launches "Ajnad Media Foundation" to Specialize in Jihadi Chants". SITE Intelligence Group. 2013-08-20. Archived from the original on 2024-06-10. Retrieved 2024-06-09.
  22. ^ Schatz, Bryan (2015-02-09). "Inside the world of jihadi propaganda music". Mother Jones. ISSN 0362-8841. Archived from the original on 2015-02-10. Retrieved 2024-06-10.
  23. ^ Al-Tamimi, Aymenn Jawad (2015-02-04). "New Nasheed from Islamic State's Ajnad Media: "Soon, soon"". Aymenn Jawad Al-Tamimi. Retrieved 2024-06-10.
  24. ^ modagman (2020-12-11). "Nasheed Notes". syrianewsupdate. Archived from the original on 2024-06-10. Retrieved 2024-06-10.
  25. ^ "ISIS' chief singer and songwriter Maher Meshaal killed in Syria airstrikes, activists say". CBS News. 2015-07-13. Archived from the original on 2018-09-30. Retrieved 2024-06-10.
  26. ^ Seldin, Jeff (2022-03-10). "Islamic State Names New Leader, Shares Only His Nom-de-Guerre". Voice of America. Archived from the original on 2023-12-16. Retrieved 2024-06-10.
  27. ^ "ISIS-Affiliated Media Body Releases Android App That Plays ISIS Songs". MEMRI. 11 May 2016. Archived from the original on 14 October 2017. Retrieved 9 September 2023.
  28. ^ Zelin, Aaron Y. (20 August 2013). "New statement from the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Shām: "Announcing Ajnād Foundation For Media Production"". Jihadology. Archived from the original on 19 October 2017. Retrieved 8 June 2015.
  29. ^ "ISIS Declares Islamic Caliphate, Appoints Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi As 'Caliph', Declares All Muslims Must Pledge Allegiance To Him". MEMRI. 30 June 2014. Archived from the original on 3 September 2024. Retrieved 7 May 2023.
  30. ^ Zelin, Aaron Y. (28 January 2015). "The Islamic State's model". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 28 February 2015. Retrieved 30 March 2015.
  31. ^ Sullivan, Kevin (8 December 2014). "Three American teens, recruited online, are caught trying to join the Islamic State". The Washington Post.
  32. ^ Jacoby, Tim (14 August 2018). "Islam and the Islamic State's Magazine, Dabiq". Politics and Religion. 2 (1): 32–54. doi:10.1017/S1755048318000561. S2CID 149567198.
  33. ^ "Dabiq: What Islamic State's New Magazine Tells Us about Their Strategic Direction, Recruitment Patterns and Guerrilla Doctrine". Jamestown. The Jamestown Foundation. 1 August 2014. Retrieved 9 August 2019.
  34. ^ Akkoc, Raziye (12 October 2015). "Ankara bombings: Islamic State is main suspect, says Turkish PM Ahmet Davutoglu". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 10 January 2022. Retrieved 2 December 2015.
     • Hunter, Isabel (22 July 2015). "Suruc bombings: Turkish President accused of not doing enough to help Kurds fight Isis threat across its border in Syria". Independent. Archived from the original on 8 December 2015. Retrieved 2 December 2015.
  35. ^ "Jihadists Release First Issue of Pro-IS French Magazine "Dar al-Islam"". SITE Intelligence Group. 22 December 2014. Archived from the original on 14 April 2016. Retrieved 31 March 2016.
  36. ^ Bifolchi, Giuliano (November 2020). "Assessment of the russian strategy to contrast terrorism and jihadist propaganda in the north Caucasus" (PDF). Janus Net e-Journal of International Relation. 2 (11). doi:10.26619/1647-7251.11.2.2. ISSN 1647-7251. Retrieved 7 November 2023.
  37. ^ Gambhir, Harleen (December 2016). The Virtual Caliphate: ISIS'S Information Warfare (PDF) (Report). Institute for the Study of War. Archived from the original on 2019-04-01. Retrieved 2023-05-07. As of late 2016, Rumiyah has apparently supplanted other internationally oriented publications, as al-Hayat has ceased publishing them
  38. ^ "Isis 'celebrates' Eid by killing prisoners 'like sheep'". The Independent. 2016-09-13. Archived from the original on 2023-12-03. Retrieved 2023-12-03.
  39. ^ a b Webber, Lucas (6 May 2022). "Voice of Khorasan Magazine and the Internationalization of Islamic State's Anti-Taliban Propaganda". Terrorism Monitor. Archived from the original on 7 November 2022. Retrieved 7 November 2022.
  40. ^ Webber, Lucas; Valle, Riccardo (2022-08-26). "Islamic State Khorasan's Expanded Vision in South and Central Asia". The Diplomat. Retrieved 2023-02-27.
  41. ^ "The evolution of the Islamic State propaganda in India. An Analysis of Voice of Hind". Special Eurasia. 4 May 2022. Retrieved 1 August 2023.
  42. ^ Webber, Lucas (11 May 2022). "Islamic State's Voice of Hind Magazine: Globalizing the Regional Anti-Taliban Narrative". Terrorism Monitor. 20 (5). The Jamestown Foundation. Archived from the original on 28 April 2023. Retrieved 1 August 2023.
  43. ^ Alkhouri, Laith; Webber, Lucas (2022-07-20). "Islamic State launches new Tajik propaganda network". Eurasianet. Archived from the original on 2022-12-25. Retrieved 2023-02-27.
  44. ^ Weiss, Caleb; O'Farrell, Ryan (6 April 2022). "ADF renews pledge of allegiance to new Islamic State leader". Long War Journal. Retrieved 22 July 2023.
  45. ^ "Cabo Ligado Monthly: December 2021". Cabo Ligado. 21 January 2022. Archived from the original on 21 July 2023. Retrieved 22 July 2023.
  46. ^ "Coronavirus: 'Islamic State' seeks to profit from pandemic". Deutsche Welle. 23 March 2020. Archived from the original on 10 April 2023. Retrieved 7 May 2023.
  47. ^ "'Divine Retribution': The Islamic State's COVID-19 Propaganda". The Diplomat. 24 March 2020.
  48. ^ Jones, Charlie; Barba, Vassia (9 June 2024). "ISIS makes chilling threat to bomb opening ceremony of Paris Olympics". Daily Mirror. Retrieved 26 October 2024.
  49. ^ Lakomy, Miron (24 August 2024). "In the digital trenches: Mapping the structure and evolution of the Islamic State's information ecosystem (2023–2024)". Media, War & Conflict. Sage Journals. doi:10.1177/1750635224127455. Retrieved 26 October 2024.
  50. ^ Webber, Lucas (18 October 2022). "A Brief History of Halummu, the Islamic State-Aligned Translation and Propaganda Outlet". Militant Wire. Retrieved 7 November 2023.
  51. ^ Webber, Lucas; Garofalo, Daniele (April 2023). "The Islamic State Somalia Propaganda Coalition's Regional Language Push". Combating Terrorism Center at West Point. 16 (4). Retrieved 7 November 2023.
  52. ^ "Pro-Islamic State (ISIS) Media Outlet Lists Targets To Attack In Arabian Peninsula Including Oil Installations, Foreign Embassies, Ambassadors, Shi'ites And "Polytheists"". MEMRI. 14 May 2023. Retrieved 7 November 2023.
  53. ^ "As FIFA World Cup Continues, Poster By Pro-Islamic State (ISIS) Media Group Denounces Soccer As Tool Of 'Jews And Crusaders' To Distract Muslims From Jihad; Calls To 'Kick Their Heads Through The Battlefields'". MEMRI. 12 December 2022. Archived from the original on 7 November 2023. Retrieved 7 November 2023.
  54. ^ "Islamic State launches English-language radio bulletins". The Daily Telegraph. London. 7 April 2015. Archived from the original on 10 January 2022. Retrieved 18 May 2015.
  55. ^ "ISIS releases mobile app to teach child recruits Arabic". Newsweek. May 12, 2016. Retrieved April 23, 2023.
  56. ^ Hider, Alex (May 12, 2016). "ISIS releases Android app to recruit kids". WGBA-TV. Archived from the original on September 3, 2024. Retrieved April 23, 2022.
  57. ^ a b Berger, J. M. (16 June 2014). "How ISIS Games Twitter". The Atlantic. Archived from the original on 19 June 2014. Retrieved 19 June 2014.
  58. ^ "ISIS Propaganda Campaign Threatens U.S." Anti-Defamation League. 27 June 2014. Archived from the original on 29 June 2014. Retrieved 27 June 2014.
  59. ^ "Isis Telegram channel doubles followers to 9,000 in less than 1 week". 12 October 2015. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 15 January 2016 – via Yahoo News.
  60. ^ Lee, Ian; Hanna, Jason (12 August 2015). "Croatian ISIS captive reportedly beheaded". CNN. Archived from the original on 29 May 2023. Retrieved 12 August 2015.
  61. ^ a b Ruthven, Malise (9 July 2015). "Inside the Islamic State. Review of Islamic State: The Digital Caliphate by Abdel Bari Atwan". The New York Review of Books. Archived from the original on 23 March 2023. Retrieved 7 May 2023.
  62. ^ Walsh, Michael (23 September 2014). "ISIS releases second 'lecture video' of British hostage John Cantlie". Daily News. New York. Archived from the original on 7 October 2014. Retrieved 6 October 2014.
  63. ^ Hegghammer, Thomas; Nesser, Petter (9 July 2015). "Assessing the Islamic State's Commitment to Attacking the West". Perspectives on Terrorism. 9 (4). Terrorism Research Initiative. ISSN 2334-3745. Archived from the original on 19 May 2017. Retrieved 4 June 2022.