The Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) is a Sunni jihadist group active in Iraq and Syria. In June 2014 it declared itself the Islamic Caliphate and changed its name to the “Islamic State,” claiming religious authority over all Muslims across the world and aspiring to bring the Muslim world under its political control. The group conducts a comprehensive information operations campaign on its Turkish language news site takvahaber.net, where it uses certain themes and messages to flaunt its power, promote its ideology, and target those who criticize it. Close monitoring and examination of the group’s daily statements, videos and updates shed light on the group’s strategy, its target audience and strategic communications, while also providing insight into its goals and motivations.
ISIS’s Information Operations
It is unclear when the group adopted takvahaber.net as its news site, but it appears that the site has been operational since June 2010.1 The website defends ISIS through its articles, and hosts an array of videos, including the beheadings for which the group has been responsible. Some of the videos also make their way onto YouTube, and each article features a link which one can click to “like” the piece and “share” it on Facebook and Twitter, suggesting a wide social media presence. The site’s colorful, technically advanced home page looks like a news site at first, but one can quickly glean that it is an ISIS-affiliated site due to the posts there.
For example, on 15 September 2014 the home page featured the following main news items: “Interview with the Islamic State”; “The Islamic State’s Third Execution Video,”; and an article entitled, “It Is Kufr [infidel] to Join the Coalition against the Islamic State.” In the “Interview with the Islamic State” the site features an extensive interview Abu Ahmet el Bahreyni, described as one of the high-level leaders of the group, in which he discusses topics such as the stages of jihad and the Islamic State’s difference from other jihadi groups, and implies that ISIS is more evolved than al Qaida and is focused on the real mission of jihad, whereas other jihadi groups focused on fighting against the U.S.2
Themes and Messages
The group’s comprehensive information operations strategy includes carefully thought out themes and messages to reach and influence its target audience. There are several overarching themes which can be gleaned from the site.
• “The Islamic State has money, weapons and respect”:
Many of the articles send the message that the group is very powerful, is attracting the respect and allegiance of other groups and has plenty of weapons and money. For example, on 15 September the group declared that it had downed three planes, claiming, “The Islamic State’s air defense units have downed a war plane belonging to the Assad regime in Raqqa. This brings the number of downed planes up to three in the last few days!”3 On 16 September 2014 an article claimed that the Algerian al-Qaida had pledged allegiance to the Islamic State (see Figure 2).4
An important piece with the message that ISIS has money and resources appeared on 12 August 2014, entitled, “The Islamic State has become oil rich from 80 thousand barrels of oil,” in which the group claimed:
The Islamic State controls 7 oil fields in Iraq that have the potential to produce 8 million dollars worth of oil daily….In addition to Iraq, the Islamic State also controls important oil fields in the Deir ez-Zor region of Syria. The Islamic State is following a strategy of gaining strength by taking over the oil and water resources along with the energy infrastructure in Iraq and Syria.5 (Figure 3).
In a similar message, under the photo gallery, one can click on a link to view “The Islamic State’s billion dollar weapons,” which features pictures of missiles, helicopters, armored vehicles, tanks and rockets.6 (Figure 4).
On 17 September an article entitled, “Saud: The Islamic State Cannot Be Wiped Out in 10 Years!” appeared, stating: “U.S.-supported Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Saud bin Faisal expressed that the fight against the Islamic State must last at least ten years. Faisal’s comments once again illustrated the helplessness of coalition countries against the Islamic State.”7
• “ISIS provides services to the public”:
Many of the photos, articles and videos depict ISIS as providing services for the public. One photo gallery is entitled, “The Islamic State’s Water Canal Project,” in which images are accompanied by the caption, “The Islamic State’s public works directorate continues to solve the public’s water problem.”8 Another one is entitled, “ISIS is distributing food and gas to the people of Anbar,” accompanied by images of ISIS militants distributing packages to children.9 The theme of providing services especially to children is a recurring one, as seen in the photo gallery entitled, “Islamic State [organizes] Activities for Children,” in which images of children are accompanied by this caption: “The Islamic State’s volunteers planned social activities for orphans.”10
• “Invader versus Caliphate”; “Us versus them”:
The group frequently and consistently refers to the U.S. as the “Invader,” the proposed coalition as “the evil coalition,” and itself as the “Caliphate.” For example, on 12 September 2014 the featured article was entitled, “Lebanese Sunni Intellectual Sheik Ahmed el-Esir Declared that It Is ‘kufr’ [infidel] to Help or Support the Global Alliance Being Established against the Islamic State.” On 16 September the site reported that, “Cracks are appearing in Obama’s coalition. The ‘evil coalition’ that Invader U.S.A leader Obama has established has started cracking from the start.”12
• “Evil coalition and civilian killings”:
Many of the posts, articles and images come with claims of civilian killings by the “evil coalition.” A 14 September 2014 posting demonstrates this message clearly. In a piece accompanying a video entitled, “The Islamic State’s Third Execution Video,” the group states: “Another stern move has been made against the U.S. and its loyal ally England, which has bombed many regions in Iraq under IS’s control and which continues to massacre tens of defenseless civilians. A journalist named David Cawthorne Haies, was executed due to the British government’s support for the U.S…”13
Similarly, a 16 September 2014 posting entitled, “U.S. Planes [throw] Poisonous Bomb on Baghdad!,” claims:
Following the establishment of the evil coalition against the Islamic State, it has been reported that the U.S. has conducted air strikes near Baghdad. According to initial reports, the poisonous bombs have caused many deaths in the population….Iraqi activists have announced that the U.S. attack was conducted in the southwest of Baghdad and the poisonous bombs have killed many innocent civilians.14
Website Organization
The website’s primary navigation menu includes sections entitled, “Photo Gallery,” “Video Gallery,” “Company Guide” (which is empty) and “Advertisements” (which is also empty). The photo and video galleries include pictures on the Islamic State’s alleged weapons which it took over, in addition to images depicting the group’s attacks. Videos include beheadings, images of a plane that the group alleges it shot down, and similar features depicting itself as powerful and in control.
The subnavigation menu includes the following categories: “Daily,” “World,” “Economy,” “Science and Technology,” “Arts & Culture,” “Family & Health,” “Research,” “Media Articles,” and “Islam,” featuring articles that have been taken from other news sources. Takvahaber also features op-ed articles by alleged columnists who write opinion pieces on Islam. In addition the site also features a poll, which asks, “Is Prof. Dr. Sheik Baghdadi’s Declaration of the Caliphate Legitimate or Not?”; as of 17 September allegedly 47% of respondents had voted yes.
Target Audience
The group appears to be conducting an intense public relations campaign through the Turkish language site, particularly aimed at reaching Turkish citizens (there is a potential recruitment pool for ISIS of 75 million Muslims in Turkey), but also possibly ethnic Turks from Central Asia. Another target audience may be the Turkish diaspora abroad, particularly the large Turkish population in Germany, among whom some former Turkish jihadis had emerged (most of the videos are posted in Arabic; however, they also feature both Turkish and German subtitles).
ISIS’s Turkish-language website ostensibly has three purposes: to serve as an information clearinghouse for Turkish-speaking militants and sympathizers; to create a sense of community among Turkish-speaking Muslims with an inclination for jihad; and to demonstrate a sense of control, power, wealth and military strength and of protecting innocent civilians, while casting the U.S. and its allies as evil, infidel and invaders.
End Notes:
“‘Who Is’ Query for takvahaber.net,” dated 16 September 2014, http://www.whois.com/whois/takvahaber.net
“Islam Devleti ile röportaj (Interview with the Islamic State),” 15 September 2014,
http://www.takvahaber.net/islam-devleti-ile-roportaj-3-bolum-roportaj,47.html
“Islam Devleti 3 uçak düsürdü! (The Islamic State downed 3 planes!),” 16 September 2014,
http://www.takvahaber.net/dunya/islam-devleti-3-ucak-dusurdu-h9785.html
“Cezayir El Kaide’sinden Halifeye biat (Algerian Al Qaida Pledges Allegiances to the Caliphate),” 16 September 2014, http://www.takvahaber.net/dunya/cezayir-el-kaidesinden-halifeye-biat-h9779.html
“İslam Devleti 80 bin varille petrol zengini oldu (The Islamic State becomes oil rich with 80 thousand barrels of oil),” 14 August 2014,
http://www.takvahaber.net/ekonomi/islam-devleti-80-bin-varille-petrol-zengini-oldu-h9367.html
“İslam Devleti’nin milyar dolarlık silahları (The Islamic State’s billion dollar weapons),” Undated,
http://www.takvahaber.net/islam-devletinin-milyar-dolarlik-silahlari-resimleri,93.html
“Suud: İslam Devleti 10 yılda bile bitmez! (Suud: The Islamic State cannot be wiped out in 10 years!” 17 September 2014,
http://www.takvahaber.net/dunya/suud-islam-devleti-10-yilda-bile-bitmez-h9796.html
“İslam Devleti’nden su kanalı projesi (Water Canal project by the Islamic State),” Undated,
http://www.takvahaber.net/islam-devletinden-su-kanali-projesi-resimleri,92.html
“IŞİD, Anbar’da halka yiyecek ve gaz dağıtıyor (ISIS is distributing food and gas to the people of Anbar),” Undated,
http://www.takvahaber.net/isid-anbarda-halka-yiyecek-ve-gaz-dagitiyor-resimleri,74.html
“Islam Devleti’ndan cocuklara etkinlik (The Islamic State [organizes] activities for children),” Undated,
http://www.takvahaber.net/islam-devletinden-cocuklara-etkinlik-resimleri,96.html
“İslam Devleti’ne karşı kurulan koalisyona katılmak küfürdür (It is kufr to join the coalition against Islamic State),” 12 September 2014,
http://www.takvahaber.net/dunya/islam-devletine-karsi-kurulan-koalisyona-katilmak-kufurdur-h9739.html
“Obama’nın koalisyonunda çatlaklar başladı (Cracks are appearing in Obama’s coalition),” 16 September 2014,
http://www.takvahaber.net/dunya/obamanin-koalisyonunda-catlaklar-basladi-h9787.html
“İslam Devleti’nin 3. infaz videosu (The Islamic State’s third execution video),” 14 September 2014,
http://www.takvahaber.net/dunya/islam-devletinin-3-infaz-videosu-h9753.html
“ABD uçaklarından Bağdat’a zehirli bomba! (U.S. Planes [throw] poisonous bomb on Baghdad!),” 16 September 2014,
http://www.takvahaber.net/dunya/abd-ucaklarindan-bagdata-zehirli-bomba-h9786.html
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