US launches online campaign against ISIS
State Department posts counter-propaganda clip to YouTube urging potential recruits to 'think again, turn away'.
WASHINGTON – The Obama administration launched an online campaign to combat Islamic State's recruitment of Muslims, in the wake of the terror group's dramatic rise to popularity.
A graphic video posted to YouTube, titled "Welcome to the Islamic State", is the first salvo in the US campaign, which uses Islamic State's own propaganda slogan (Run, do not walk to ISIS land) to highlight the group's terror activities.
US web campaign against ISIS recruitment ( )
The web campaign is intended to make potential recruits to ISIS reconsider their decision by using Islamic State's own footage and clips. The counter-propaganda video says ISIS is seeking recruits to blow up mosques and crucify Muslims.
The campaign calls on prospective recruits to the radical group to "Think Again, Turn Away" before ending with the chilling message: "Travel is inexpensive, because you won't need a return ticket!" and a body being thrown from a cliff.
ISIS supporters in Raqaa (Photo: Reuters)
The State Department's Center for Strategic Counterterrorism Communications new campaign suggests that the administration is concerned by a rise in the radical group's recruitment of young Americans. More than 100 US citizens have joined ISIS.
Washington officials have tied the worrying figure with the potential for a homegrown terror attack on the US by an ISIS-trained American.
The online US campaign against terror relies heavily on social media, publishing in Arabic, Urdu, and Somali. The propaganda effort had previously focused on Pakistan, Afghanistan, Yemen, and the horn of Africa – but now includes potential recruits to ISIS.
