I came across a video produced by Al-Qaeda in Iraq's al-Furqan media group this weekend. It was posted earlier this week in a jihadist internet forum, but is now also available on YouTube. The video is the third part of a series entitled, “The Knights of Martyrdom”.
While I haven't seen part 2, I have seen the first one, which was issued back in March of 2007. From what I remember, many aspects of this most recent episode are consistent with that of the previous one, using many of the same sound-bites, motifs, and production techniques.
Contrary to the timing of this part's release, the attacks covered in the film date back as far as the summer of 2005. Perhaps the most significant of these was the destruction of both the Badush and Aski-Mosul bridges in the province of Ninawa in May of 2007 in multiple VBIED attacks. The incident was covered by western media, which revealed that it was part of a larger campaign undertaken by the group in that region.
In its entirety, the film covers several attacks, with each segment featuring the execution of the attack, a scorecard of its achievements, and video footage of a will read by an individual killed in the operation. In addition to the bridge operations, several attacks allegedly executed in Tal Afar are also featured, including one that appears to date back to July of 2005. While much of the details of the attacks are highlighted, the dates of their execution are not presented to the viewer. However, anyone able to cross-reference some of the information provided in the videos with mainstream sources could come up with the dates of the attacks.
Part 3 of “The Knights of Martyrdom” comes at a time when AQI, also known as the Islamic State of Iraq, has experienced serious setbacks in Iraq over the past year, which has most recently taken on the form of a serious crackdown on the group in its last known 'stronghold’ of Mosul.
This might be why AQI has featured dated footage in this episode of the video series, leaving one to conclude that – by presenting itself in this manner – AQI is attempting to maintain a media presence that suggests operational strength in order to compensate for its losses on the ground. One might also conclude that this may be indicative of AQI's inability to produce media content derived from the ‘field’ in a timely manner. Such a scenario could be the result of efforts to take down al-Furqan dating back to late last year.
Thus, this latest episode of the “Knights of Martyrdom” may be more indicative of an organization on the decline, rather than one on the rebound. In terms of its media campaign, highlighting major attacks – such as the Badush bridge operation – may ensure the group visibility. However, it also opens the door for the public to refer to mainstream media coverage of those events to delineate inconsistencies and unflattering trends in the group's capacity as both a military and media entity.
