LONDON, July 21 (UPI) — Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi ordered a ban on video footage of beheadings and other executions by his followers.
The directive is meant to “respect the sensitivities of Muslims and children who find such images repulsive,” the London-based Arab newspaper Al-Quds al-Arabi reported. It added al-Baghdadi, in instructions to all IS communications offices, suggested instead editing propaganda footage to show only the initial throat-cutting, followed by the placing of the severed head on the body.
The order was given within the past several weeks, and has already been met with some resistance by some IS militants. While come regard the gruesome videos as recruitment tools, others say they are designed to intimidate enemies, notably Western countries and not citizens of Middle Eastern areas under invasion.
A video appeared on the Internet Friday which seemed not to follow al-Baghdadi’s editing suggestion; a young IS militant beheaded a Syrian soldier at Palmyra, Syria.
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