Isis Tank Execution – The Islamic State of Iraq and Greater Syria’s (ISIS) video of the beheading of 22 Syrian Soldiers took between four and six hours to film and used equipment that cost around $200,000, a new analysis has shown.
Khan says the Executioners were chosen for their cinematic qualities, their appearance and their martial ability. She points out that the men represent a certain kind of aesthetic; they are rather good-looking, clean and look as if they’ve done this before.
Isis Tank Execution
The fact that they come from across the world is intended to convey the broad reach of ISIS’s self-proclaimed caliphate, Khan adds. ©News Group Newspapers Limited in England No. 679215 Registered office: 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF.
“The Sun”, “Sun”, “Sun Online” are registered trademarks or trade names of News Group Newspapers Limited. This service is provided on News Group Newspapers’ Limited’s Standard Terms and Conditions in accordance with our Privacy & Cookie Policy.
To inquire about a license to reproduce material, visit our Syndication site. View our online Press Pack. For other inquiries, Contact Us. To see all content on The Sun, please use the Site Map. The Sun website is regulated by the Independent Press Standards Organization (IPSO)
ISIS’s media approach is central to propagating the message that it is unstoppable, Khan says. But while the work is professional, the analysts have noticed tell-tale inconsistencies within the footage that hint at the Forensic footprint of a specific editor.
Tracing this signature will, they hope, eventually lead to the identification of key figures possibly at the highest levels of the ISIS Hierarchy – something which may just prove crucial in the fight still ongoing in Iraq and Syria.
The UN said: “UNAMI calls on the government of Iraq to investigate a video report circulating on social media sites which purportedly shows the Brutal mistreatment and Murder of at least three captured ISIL members.” The footage came to light just before the Iraqi PM announced that eastern Mosul was “fully liberated” from the clutches of ISIS.
The video, titled “Though the Unbelievers Despise It”, was released on Nov. 16 and runs for close to 16 minutes. It was choreographed to show the simultaneous beheading of the Hostages by 22 ISIS executioners, as well as the Murder of U.S.
aid worker Peter Kassig. Veryan Khan, a researcher with TRAC has been analyzing the video frame-by-frame. She says the video would have had a director, producer and editor who may even have used Storyboards like conventional film-makers.
The video was likely produced using Avid Technology, a state-of-the-art program which costs at least $200,000. Analysts at the U.S.-based Terrorism Research and Analysis Consortium (TRAC) and the U.K.-based Quilliam Foundation discovered lighting and shadows that reveal the video was shot in multiple takes over a period of several hours.
The line-up order of the killers and prisoners is switched and in certain frames Fighters chat with one another as if idly passing time between takes. Virtually all the killers — of varying ethnicities and nationalities — are unmasked and potentially identifiable, although only one has been identified: Maxime Hauchard, a French convert to Islam.
The killers are led by the figure known as “Jihadi John,” the masked British militant believed to be responsible for the beheadings of James Foley, Steven Sotloff, David Haines, Alan Henning, Peter Kassig and two unidentified Syrian soldiers.
When he was asked how long it will take to liberate the western side of the city, al-Abadi was vague but defiant saying: “I can’t tell now, but we are capable of doing so and we will do so.”
The researchers believe the video was aimed at supporters, potential recruits, enemies and also the ISIS leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. In a statement, the researchers suggested the Fighters were probably willing participants because they would “enjoy international infamy, Transforming them into social media Heroes like ‘Jihadi John’ and rendering them valuable assets for future propaganda.
Already countless [ISIS] Twitter supporters are using the executioners’ photos as their avatars.” ©News Group Newspapers Limited in England No. 679215 Registered office: 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF. “The Sun”, “Sun”, “Sun Online” are registered trademarks or trade names of News Group Newspapers Limited.
This service is provided on News Group Newspapers’ Limited’s Standard Terms and Conditions in accordance with our Privacy & Cookie Policy. To inquire about a license to reproduce material, visit our Syndication site. View our online Press Pack.
For other inquiries, Contact Us. To see all content on The Sun, please use the Site Map. The Sun website is regulated by the Independent Press Standards Organization (IPSO)
Emma Nehls is a military writer and historian with a passion for exploring the intricacies of warfare and the human experience within the military. With extensive knowledge and a deep understanding of military strategy, tactics, and historical contexts, Nehls brings a unique perspective to his writings.
