Kurdish Peshmerga forces use media against ISIL

World Today

Kurdish Peshmerga forces use media against ISIL

Kurdish fighters are head-to-head against Islamic State militants on the battlefield in Iraq.

But, a war of a different kind is under way in the media. It’s an alternative counter offensive against the Islamic militants.

From Erbil, CCTV America’s Toby Muse has this story.
Follow Toby Muse on Twitter @tobymuse

It’s a tribute to the life and death of a fighter for the Kurdish Peshmerga. The homage visibly moves the dead man’s family. This mini-documentary was produced by the media unit of the Peshmerga, run by Delshad Mawlod. Works like this keep morale among the Kurdish fighters high. But the unit’s real job is fighting a media war against its enemies of ISIL.

At once visible and overlooked, the media war shapes how the world sees the fight against ISIL in Iraq. Every day, the Peshmerga publishes television reports and updates its social media.

The message is always positive: we’re winning. Their enemy, ISIL, has a similar message of victory. ISIL’s media is known for its skillfully filmed and edited videos, way above most other terror groups. The group also produces graphic execution videos as warnings to its enemies of what awaits them. ISIL’s media operation has impressed even its enemies.

As the battle for Mosul continues, the world will have to see through the media war to understand what is really happening.