File Photo. Genya Savilov—AFP
The graphic pamphlets aim to show that joining the militant group is akin to jumping into a meat grinder.
The U.S. military dropped 60,000 leaflets on the Islamic State group’s de facto capital in Syria showing a grisly depiction of extremist recruits being fed into a meat grinder, the Pentagon said Thursday.
An F-15E fighter jet last week unloaded a canister containing the graphic leaflets on the northern city of Raqa, the latest in an effort by a U.S.-led coalition to undermine the I.S. extremists’ own extensive propaganda and recruiting efforts.
“The message of this leaflet is: if you find yourself recruited by Daesh, you will find yourself in a meat grinder—and it’s not beneficial to your health,” said Pentagon spokesman Colonel Steven Warren, using the Arabic acronym for the I.S. group.
The drawing shows young men lined up under a sign in Arabic, “Daesh Recruiting Office.” An I.S. man with a monstrous face is beckoning a frightened-looking recruit forward, while a second I.S. member is operating the meat grinder, pushing someone into the machine—which is labeled “Daesh.” Blood is spewing from the grinder’s feeder tube, and two legs are sticking out.
U.S. diplomats and generals have said the I.S. has proved adept at exploiting social media and reaching potential volunteers online with slickly produced videos.
The leaflets were produced by members of Military Information Support Operations, known previously as psychological operations, Warren said.