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WORLD NEWSFriday 22 January 2016
US, coalition looks to boost propaganda war on IS AP: Top suspect in
LOLITA C. BALDOR
Associated Press
PARIS (AP) — U.S. and co-
alition forces are battling
Islamic State militants in the plify the militant group’s
skies and on the ground
across Iraq and Syria, but
the allies are increasingly
also targeting the airwaves,
where they now are losing
the propaganda war.
In Paris this week, Defense
Secretary Ash Carter made
clear the coalition must
get better at projecting its
own messages and tout-
ing its successes. He has
spent much of his time giv-
ing speeches lately at do-
ing just that — painting an
increasingly rosy picture of
victories in Iraq and Syria
and describing a con-
strained Islamic State that is Islamic State, particularly
losing momentum.
The multipronged effort in-
cludes not only talking up
military victories in Iraq and equipment were able to
Syria, but also countering
jihadi messaging that can
recruit or inspire followers
around the world to join
the group or launch their
own solo attacks in western
nations.
So far, efforts by the U.S.
and others to combat that
propaganda campaign
have been slow to form,
with officials acknowledg-
ing that they are losing the
communications war.
Speaking Thursday at École
Militaire, a military war col-
lege in Paris, Carter said IS
uses the Internet “to give
encouragement or even
instruction to people who
have already been radical-
ized, or radicalizing some
of these poor lost souls who
sit in front of a screen and
fantasize about a life as a
US urges Afghanistan, Pakistan on peace process Al-Abadi said on Thursday
MATTHEW LEE
AP Diplomatic Writer
DAVOS, Switzerland (AP)
— The United States on
Thursday urged the leaders
of Afghanistan and Paki-
stan to support a credible
peace process with the Af-
ghan Taliban.
U.S. Vice President Joe
Biden and U.S. Secretary of
State John Kerry made the
case to Afghan President
Ashraf Ghani and Paki-
stani Prime Minister Nawaz
Sharif on the sidelines of
the World Economic Fo-
jihadi.”
And a senior defense offi-
cial said that Islamic State
“fanboys” are able to am-
message, spreading it fast-
U.S Defense Secretary Ashton Carter delivers a speech during a conference in Paris, Thursday,
Jan 21, 2016. Carter said Wednesday that defense ministers from France and five other nations
have agreed to intensify the campaign against Islamic State group in Iraq and Syria, and that the
coalition will work together to fill the military requirements as the fight unfolds over the coming
months.
er and more broadly than
their number might sug-
gest.
In recent weeks, Carter and
his military leaders have
been more outspoken and
upbeat in their assessment
of the battles against the
in Iraq. Last month, Iraqi
forces buttressed by coali-
tion airstrikes and bridging
take back the city of Ra-
madi. And officials are now
talking about a new cam-
paign plan that maps out
the fight in coming months
rum in Davos. The White
House said Biden and Kerry
reaffirmed U.S. support for
improved ties between Af-
ghanistan and Pakistan, of-
fered condolences to both
for recent terrorist attacks in safe havens, and promote
their countries and called
on them to stay committed
to a negotiated end to the
Afghan civil war.
Biden “reaffirmed U.S. sup-
port for reconciliation and
improved bilateral ties be-
tween Afghanistan and
Pakistan and called them
important pillars of regional
to take back key IS power
centers in Mosul in Iraq and
Raqqa in Syria. Raqqa is
the Islamic State’s de facto
capital.
“We’re having some suc-
cess, we’re going to have
more in the future, I would
like to have even more, but
democracies are slow, and
they only tell the truth,” said an coalition countries that
Carter. “And in a message-
driven Internet world, that
puts you at a structural dis-
advantage compared to
people who are nimble,
agile, and lie. But we ought
to try to do better.”
The senior defense official
also said the U.S. is consid-
ering what it might con-
tribute for a new strategic
communications center
the British are setting up to
stability (and) encouraged
both leaders to remain
committed to a credible
peace process reinforced
by tangible steps to reduce
violence, eliminate militant
bilateral cooperation,”
the White House said in a
statement. In a joint state-
ment, the four nations said
Monday their talks “made
progress on a roadmap to-
ward initiating peace talks
with Taliban groups.” The
statement said they hope
to bring the two sides to-
Iraq abductions of
convey its anti-IS message. Americans named
One option could be to as-
sign someone from the De- SUSANNAH GEORGE
fense Department to be at Associated Press
the center, but the official BAGHDAD (AP) — Two
said it was not clear if that powerful Shiite militias are
top suspects in the abduc-
tion of three Americans
last weekend in a southern
neighborhood of the Iraqi
capital, an Iraqi police
commander and a West-
ern security official in Bagh-
(AP Photo/Christophe Ena) dad said Thursday.
The Americans were ab-
would be a civilian or a mili- ducted in Dora, a mixed
tary service member. The neighborhood that is
defense official said the home to both Shiites and
five other mainly Europe- Sunnis, on Saturday. It was
the latest in a series of bra-
Carter met with this week zen high-profile kidnap-
also support the effort. pings undermining confi-
The official was not autho- dence in the Iraqi govern-
rized to talk about the dis- ment’s ability to control
cussions publicly and spoke state-sanctioned Shiite
on condition of anonymity. militias, which have grown
Responding to a question in strength as Iraqi security
at the war college, Cart- forces battle the Islamic
er said that it will also be State group.
important to have other Two Shiite militias — Asaib
moderate religious leaders Ahl al-Haq and Saraya al-
speaking out against the IS Salam — were likely behind
message.q the attack, the Iraqi and
Western official told The As-
sociated Press on Thursday.
“Nobody can do anything
in that neighborhood with-
out the approval of those
militias,” the police com-
mander said. The Western
security official confirmed
that Iraqi and U.S. intel-
ligence assessments had
narrowed down the sus-
pects to those the two
groups. Both officials spoke
on condition of anonymity
because they were not au-
thorized to talk to reporters.
One of the militias named
as a suspect is backed
by Iran, a key ally of Iraqi
Prime Minister Hayder al-
Abadi’s government.
that he doubts that there
gether for talks “aimed at is an Iranian link to the
reduction of violence and kidnapping, adding “we
establishing lasting peace don’t know if they have
in Afghanistan and the re- been kidnapped... they
gion.” They called on all just went missing.”
Taliban groups to enter The U.S. Embassy in Bagh-
into early peace talks and dad has confirmed that
agreed to meet again in Is- several Americans are
lamabad on Feb. 6. missing and said they are
The war shows no sign of working with Iraqi authori-
abating, with the Taliban ties to locate them.
challenging Afghan forces Speaking at Davos, U.S.
on a number of fronts since Secretary of State John
the U.S. and NATO formally Kerry said that he was
concluded their combat working with Iraq on the
mission at the end of last issue.q
year.q