ISIS Revamps Recruitment, With Savvy, Professional Broadcasts

After a selection of tunes, the presenter with an American accent offers “a glimpse at our main headlines.” ISIS extremists have just seized three Iraqi cities  

This file image taken from a militant website associated with Islamic State extremists, posted Saturday, May 23, 2015, purports to show a suicide bomber, with the Arabic bar below reading: "Urgent: The heroic martyr Abu Amer al-Najdi, the attacker of the (Shiite) temple in Qatif", which the Islamic State group's radio station claimed responsibility for. Militant photo via AP

PARIS—After a selection of tunes, the presenter with an American accent offers “a glimpse at our main headlines.” ISIS extremists have just seized three Iraqi cities. A bomb blows up a factory, killing everyone inside. Extremists destroy four enemy Hummers and an armored vehicle.

The newscast’s tone sounds much like National Public Radio in the United States. But this is Al-Bayan, the ISIS radio targeting European recruits — touting recent triumphs in the campaign to carve out a Caliphate.

All news is good news for Al-Bayan’s “soldiers of the Caliphate.” In this narrative, the enemy always flees in disgrace or is killed. The broadcasts end with a swell of music and a gentle English message: “We thank our listeners for tuning in.”

READ MORE

• Afghan Suicide Bombing Blamed on ISIS Kills 35
• ISIS Just Completely Destroyed an Ancient City Referenced in the Bible