Two weeks ago the United States government asked the media to stop showing “B-roll” footage of Islamic State convoys when they air stories about ISIS on news programs. According to IBT:
Coverage of the war against the Islamic State group in Iraq and Syria do not accurately reflect the reality on the ground because U.S. television networks are using old footage showing the extremist group’s movements, senior officials in the Obama administration have reportedly said. The officials also urged the country’s media outlets to update their recordings of ISIS’ activities in the region.
Top officials in the State Department and the Pentagon called on TV networks to stop using “B-roll” — stock footage that appears on screen with reporters and commentators speaking in the background — showing ISIS at the peak of its strength last year before coalition strikes began, Politico reported.
The Pentagon suggested a revised depiction:
“One Toyota speeding down the road by itself at night with its headlights off,” would be a more accurate image, said Pentagon spokesman Col. Steven Warren.
The next day U.S. Special Forces staged a raid in Syria and killed Abu Sayyaf, an Islamic State commander, and captured his wife. That story dominated the headlines and airwaves for the next 24 hours, although I’m not sure if media outlets complied with the order to revise their B-rolls when they aired it.
The next day the forces of the Islamic State overran Ramadi, the capital of al-Anbar Province in Iraq.
I don’t think the timing of these three things was coincidental. There was no way American intelligence was unaware that Ramadi was about to fall. So: order the revised B-rolls to change the spin on the coverage of ISIS. Then stage a spectacular raid and neutralize a bad guy so as to gain massive admiring coverage. Then, the next day, when Ramadi falls, things don’t look quite so bad.
The conquest of Ramadi is far more significant and momentous than the loss of one ISIS commander, no matter how senior. But the American people don’t know that, which is what the Obama administration is counting on. It’s all spin, spin, spin — domestic political considerations are everything.
As it happens, some of those non-existent convoys for the Islamic State were involved in the capture of Ramadi. Vlad Tepes has uploaded some footage of them, and annotated it with his own commentary:
Yes the loss of Ramadi is a serious blow to what’s left of Iraq – and our efforts to train and motivate what amounts to a bunch of nitwits and cowards. Even a militia that is dedicated but outnumbered 4 to 1 can make a city a meat grinder for a invading force.
But that’s not the worst of it. The thing is to attack a city, you have to stage your forces somewhere before attacking because you aren’t doing this attack with a company sized forced but at least 500-1000 and you can’t hide that. And with our drones and AWACS we could easily pin point where this is happening and wipe out the entire force before it got going.
We didn’t do that. I have no doubt the AF is under strict orders not to take out where it ISIS is concentrated.
In short what we’re doing is Kabuki theater, Obama and Congress have no real interest in taking out ISIS. BTW don’t think for a minute none of the GOP senators aren’t aware of this, especially on the senate Intel and Armed Services Committees. They know.
As to why, Pam Geller in a recent post wrote about a FOIA request that unearthed a document showing in 2012 Defense Intelligence Agency document that the U.S. facilitated the rise of ISIS in order to get rid of Assad – See more at:
http://pamelageller.com/2015/05/isis-strategic-asset.html/
As to why the MSM doesn’t report on this is self-evident. One it implicates leaders in both political parties, secondly makes us look internationally as ISIS’s sugar daddy.
Also they seem to be covering up recent Muslim atrocities from orders on high. In this case it’s Muslims beating up on gays and even murdering them. Yet not a peep from the MSM. Now normally this would be news 24×7 because of the subject matter, except when it involves Muslims, it’s not a issue at all.
Link:
http://pamelageller.com/2015/05/video-muslim-attacks-gay-couple-in-ny-restaurant.html/
Make of this what you will.
Indeed.
Then again, the Islamic State is itself a useful distraction from the real failures of the anti-Western usurpers controlling government policy.
Party time in Washington. What’s black and black and black…?
Islamic State driving a black Toyota, on a moonless night, waving the black flag of Jihad, and propelled by the blackest of intentions.
Thank you for the analysis. I, for one, found it enlightening. Do some on the silver finger rings. Do you think someone will create some Americana ones?
The Islamic State, like other Islamic states before it, is not an economically viable entity without continual plundering and slaving and ransoming. If it continues to exist and even to consolidate territory, I anticipate that it will have to resort to the old tried and true methods of the past: conquering neighbors, plundering their wealth, enslaving some, and ransoming others. I would also guess that they are casting their eyes longingly on Europe because that is where the real wealth is. Conquering Mohammedan neighbors can only get them so far, as far as wealth is concerned. Most of their neighbors are poor. So, is piracy and coastal raiding again in store for Europe? Anyone thinking about that?