Islamic State propaganda pretends battle for Kobani not over

KOBANI DREAMING: Days after Kurdish forces took back Kobani from the Islamic State, IS-affiliated media outlets have continued to disseminate news of their fighters’ persistence in capturing what they call Ain al-Islam.

Pro-Islamic State Dawaal al-Haq News Agency published a series of pictures on Thursday, including the one above, showing IS “heavy weapons brigades” and “missile brigades” targeting the town with artillery salvoes.

“Sources close to the Islamic State inside Ain al-Islam report that the situation there has not changed, and that the mujahideen are still in their locations,” reported Dawaal al-Haq in a separate article Thursday.

A pro-IS twitter handle uploaded a photo Thursday reportedly showing IS fighters taking a break from fighting in Kobani, enjoining followers to spread the news and uncover the media’s lies about a Kurdish victory in the town.

Meanwhile, an astute commenter from Dawaal al-Haq wrote below the pictures of the IS rocket salvoes, “it’s obvious that the fighting has moved outside the city.”

As of Tuesday, IS fighters had indeed pulled out from the east side of Kobani to the countryside, SOHR head Rami Abdul Rahman said in an interview with BBC Arabic Tuesday night.

In related news, the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan posted a casualty count for the four month-long battle in Kobani on Thursday, reporting that 3,710 IS fighters and 408 PYD fighters died.

-January 29, 2014

-Photo courtesy of  Dawaal al-Haq

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