By Rakesh Raman
After its forays in the social media universe and producing a professionally designed magazine “Dabiq,” terrorist outfit ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and Syria) seems to be all set to launch its first TV channel, which will operate from the cyberspace.
Web information service Vocativ reports that the new ISIS online TV channel will be hosted on Khilafa Live website and it will be called “The Islamic Caliphate Broadcast.”
British citizen John Cantlie, who is now a hostage of ISIS, is expected to be featured in the TV channel. Cantlie has already appeared in a multi-episode video series called “Lend Me Your Ears” of ISIS. Plus, he is writing articles in ISIS’ Dabiq magazine.
Cantlie’s articles and videos highlight ISIS’ achievements and the flaws in the policies of American and British governments. In a recent Dabiq article, he said the Islamic State has now become a global player.
[ Read: Islamic State Is Now a Global Player: John Cantlie ]
Like most mainstream TV channels, which are influenced by their local governments and present biased information, the new ISIS TV channel is also expected to air the views of ISIS leaders.
Although ISIS has not yet established its planned Caliphate, it’s progressing systematically like a well-oiled government to achieve its territorial objectives.
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Of late, the terrorist outfit revealed its strategy and plan of action to a visiting German author Jürgen Todenhöfer, who visited the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria with its permission to know about the life in the ISIS-controlled areas.
ISIS said it is now determined to extend its territory into Europe after conquering large areas of Iraq and Syria, which are now part of the Islamic State or its Caliphate.
[ Read: Undeterred by U.S. Offensive, ISIS Now Eying Europe ]
Currently, ISIS holds a state which is at least equivalent to the geographical area of the U.K. As it has planned to expand its regime, ISIS is now focusing on human resource development (HRD).
According to ISIS, it has established numerous training camps dedicated to providing an essential level of training to its mujāhidīn. The fighters are trained properly before sending them into battle or assigning them to specific units for more specialized training.
In a recent issue of its Dabiq magazine, ISIS has discussed its training strategy while providing a glimpse into the Shaykh Abū Hamzah al-Muhājir Training Camp in Fallūjah.
[ Read: How Islamic State Trains Its Fighters ]
And now ISIS plans the TV channel, as Vocativ has reported. At the time of publishing this story today, the Khilafa Live website (http://www.khilafalive.info/), where ISIS plans to host its online TV service, was showing only a blank page while its title bar appeared with the text: “WEB SERVICE.” It’s not yet clear when this service will go live.
Meanwhile, the “Whois” service, which records the identities of websites and their owners, shows that the khilafalive.info website was registered in December 2014 and was updated this month, January 2015. The site is registered from the U.S. in the name of Chris Fred.
By Rakesh Raman, the managing editor of RMN Company
You also can read: More Articles by the RMN Editor, Rakesh Raman
Photos courtesy: ISIS, Dabiq
