Leaflets vowing, against all appearances to the contrary, that “freedom will come.” Leaflets! The Islamic State jihadis must be trembling with fear!
“U.S.-led airdrops shower leaflets over Islamic State territory,” by Bassem Mroue, The Associated Press, July 19, 2015:
BEIRUT — A U.S.-led coalition dropped new leaflets over the de facto capital of the Islamic State group in Syria, promising those below that “freedom will come” to the region, activists said Sunday.
An anti-Islamic State group called Raqqa is Being Silently Slaughtered and the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the leaflets had drawings showing dead extremists and their flag turned upside down. Four fighters with the main Kurdish militia, the People’s Protection Units, or YPG, walked down a street in the picture, with two words in Arabic below translated as “Freedom will come.”
The latest leaflet drop comes as YPG fighters have been advancing in northern Syria as close as 50 kilometers (30 miles) north of Raqqa.
Coalition warplanes have dropped such leaflets in the past. A previous one had a cartoon showing masked Islamic State extremists at a “hiring office” feeding people into a meat grinder.
Also Sunday, the extremists gave Internet cafes in Raqaa four days to stop offering wireless Internet connections to nearby homes, the Observatory and Raqqa is Being Silently Slaughtered said. The move comes two weeks after extremists released a video purporting to show the killing of two Syrian men in Raqqa, allegedly for spying.
The Islamic State group holds about a third of Syria and neighboring Iraq in its self-declared “caliphate.”
On Friday, a truck bombing by the group in Iraq’s eastern Diyala province killed 115 people at a crowded market. Authorities there have fired the local police chief and three officers, while two others are being investigated, said senior Iraqi police officials speaking on condition of anonymity Sunday as they weren’t authorized to talk to journalists….
rev g says
They should drop leaflets explaining how ISIS misunderstands islam. That could solve everything! Peace in our time!
cs says
Yes, do like Sweden, adopt and cuddle a Jihad, and everything will be solver. You bet.
Huck Folder says
Drop shit stained pages from The BoH™,
get them REALLY riled up, till they burst.
Lia Wissing says
See, the pen is mightier than the sword … perhaps not exactly in the short run, though …
Jan Aage Jeppersen says
ISIS is not misunderstanding Islam. That`s the problem and nobody could write anything to the contrary based upon Islamic texts and teachings. It is a loser strategy. We did not drop leaflets over Soviet Union telling people that the Soviet leaders had misunderstood the teachings of Lenin and Karl Marx.
rev g says
You would think the sarcasm would be obvious.
Jan Aage Jeppersen says
To distinguish sarkasm from plain stupidity it is a good idea to put a smily 😉 at the end or write sarc off.
Caroline says
This is actually quite cruel. Holding out false hope to the people of Raqqa. The cavalry won’t be coming anytime soon.
Angemon says
My thoughts exactly, Carolyne.
Champ says
“false hope” …obama *is* consistent.
William says
Our governments never learn the their lessons. They constantly repeat the same errors over and over again and again. George Bush told the Iraqis that America was bringing freedom to them. We all know how that turned out; it didn’t end well for us. Yet, America is still offering the same old gift, freedom. Don’t they realize the people over there have no use for freedom. They tell us so. The stupid morons (I know that is a repetition) in our governments believe the Iraqis will open their arms and welcome in freedom! Dropping leaflets telling them freedom is coming is like dropping leaflets telling them the Bubonic plague is coming.
Evolution says
Obama is dropping leaflets to isis promising them freedom.
That’s how I read it.
Proud Pork Fan says
I think a brochure to the next “draw Mohammed contest and art exhibition” would be good.
Champ says
For years obama has been giving the American people false hope and promises, as well …
I feel your pain, Syria.
Kepha says
Walk as loudly as a herd of elephants but carry no stick. That’s post-modern America for you.
Cecilia Ells says
“A U.S.-led coalition dropped new leaflets over the de facto capital of the Islamic State group in Syria, promising those below that “freedom will come” to the region, activists said Sunday.”
– I can’t help but think of that Kevin Costner line in the movie, “Wyatt Earp” . . . “It all stops now!” Those would have been nice leaflets to drop . . . about ten minutes before wiping out ISIS strongholds and ISIS-controlled facilities with uninterrupted bombing runs that would light up the sky with more colors than were seen on the recently-lighted White House. As it is, however, they might as well have dropped leaflets announcing, “There’s a sale at Penney’s.”
So now, we have a leaflet strategy. Fits right in with that Sun Tzu assessment, “The general who is skilled in defense hides in the most secret recesses of the earth; he who is skilled in attack flashes forth from the topmost heights of heaven.” (“The Art of War”)
It’s past time for both Obama and ISIS to go. If not, all those textbooks at the U. S. Army War College will have to be amended to include provisions for a ticker-tape-parade option.
Michael Warden says
” I love the smell of Napalm in the morning “.
Cecilia Ellis says
“A U.S.-led coalition dropped new leaflets over the de facto capital of the Islamic State group in Syria, promising those below that “freedom will come” to the region, activists said Sunday.”
– I can’t help but think of that Kevin Costner line in the movie, “Wyatt Earp” . . . “It all stops now!” Those would have been nice leaflets to drop . . . about ten minutes before wiping out ISIS strongholds and ISIS-controlled facilities with uninterrupted bombing runs that would light up the sky with more colors than were seen on the recently-lighted White House. As it is, however, they might as well have dropped leaflets announcing, “There’s a sale at Penney’s.”
So now, we have a leaflet strategy. Fits right in with that Sun Tzu assessment, “The general who is skilled in defense hides in the most secret recesses of the earth; he who is skilled in attack flashes forth from the topmost heights of heaven.” (“The Art of War”)
It’s past time for both Obama and ISIS to go. If not, all those textbooks at the U. S. Army War College will have to be amended to include provisions for the offensive ticker-tape-parade option.
Cecilia Ellis says
I apologize for the double post. It did not appear to have posted initially. My bad . . .
ted says
Just in time too.
I think there was a toilet paper shortage going on there. This should help them out with that.
Whats next? will they drop leaflets over US cities telling us iran is our friend?
Tiredofstupid says
I think toilet paper is haram there-gotta use your left hand and sand.
Pork Rind Addict says
That is correct. You will burn in hell forever if you use toilet paper. Left hand and sand only.
John C. Barile says
Obama’s Phony War is in high gear.
Anthony says
Freedom will come ???? Freedom from what, they got all the freedom they can get to implement Sharia, kill infidels, etc. Obama wants to ruin the party ?
particolor says
They said Thank You ! Beats using the Left Hand ! 🙂
Jean-Francois Morf says
Leaflets should be the new testament in cartoons, printed on the right pages of a book.
And the left pages should show the Quran in gold letters: they are not allowed to burn the Quran.
Front pages: the holy Quran on one side, The holy Bible on the other side.
Every sheet is printed Quran on one side and new testament on the other: impossible to part them.
Mollahs and imams could do nothing against this prozelytising leaflets.
Mark says
That’s actually quite a good idea
Baucent says
This is amateurish propaganda and demonstrates the CIA or whoever dreamed it up understands little about Islam or the middle east region.
Firstly the leaflet is targeting the “oppressed population”. But that rather assumes that they all would rather ISIS was not there. Of that we can not be sure.
Secondly the ISIS flag shown upside down is actually likely to offend their muslim target audience and it is in fact the muslim creed of faith that all adhere to, not just ISIS. So insulting your target group is never a good tactic.
Thirdly they show an image of rescuing Kurdish fighters. So who says the Arab muslim population will welcome the Kurds? There is long animosity between the two ethnic groups. They might be welcomed by Assyrian Christians and Yazidis but not the Arabs.
A better strategy is to target the ISIS lower level foot soldiers. Create a narrative and imagery of the hierachy racking in the money while they are the “cannon fodder”. Attempt to sow the seeds of mistrust of leadership, undermine moral, “divide and conquer”.Stories of Swiss bank accounts, etc.
Charles says
His parents are to blame also for raising him as a Muslim. The family can denounce Islam, or follow him to Hell.
veracious_one says
if we’re there to fight wouldn’t dropping cluster bombs be better?
mortimer says
Good. Leaflets are an important part of psychological warfare and demoralization. It is important to plant doubts in the minds of the jihadists. Once they begin to doubt, it will affect their devotion to the cause and their willingness to die for it. A single serious doubt makes a soldier question why he is there.
They should also drop ‘black propaganda’ stories about the hypocrisy of ISIS leaders and Islamic discussions of the ideological problems in the way ISIS is behaving.
mortimer says
They should also be dropping leaflets that list reasons for surrendering before ISIS fighters are wiped out by Allied attacks. They should be offering special terms of surrender to those who present themselves carrying the leaflet to the Iraqi army. Every ISIS fighter who surrenders will be a source of military intelligence vital to planning airstrikes and attacks.
They should be offering them a ‘LIMITED TIME OFFER’… get this surrender offer before a certain date.
Sam says
This is so crazy that I can not find a name to describe this stupidity of Obama and company. Dropping flyers to Muslims? Give me a f***** break.
John Kenny says
Seriously, why not drop thousands of bottles of alcoholic drinks into ISIS territory. Suggest a lot of flavored brandies in those flask type plastic bottles for easy hiding. If they dispose of the first batch, drop more. Sow discord in the ranks. Officers will revolt and shoot their leaders.
David, Thailand says
We learn that 75% of American sorties over IS territory have been returning with their bomb bays fully loaded due to poor intel and human shields around prime targets, and now instead of bombs our glorious world leader has resorted to leaflet drops promising those below that “Freedom will come.”
I think Obama should order the USAF to bombard the IS with thousands of tons of cigarettes and sweets so that the peacelovers can smoke themselves to death as their teeth fall out; then we could escalate to unearthed electrical goods and even eventually cars in the hope they run each other down.
There’s no limit to the number of infidel goods a truly committed America under Obama could employ to destroy the IS.