Reality TV, Iraqi Style

Over the past few years, the biggest trend on TV has been toward reality programming – shows ranging from amateur singing competitions to the personal lives of celebrities. The Middle East has also enjoyed a couple of its own versions of reality TV, including “American Idol” and “Big Brother.”More recently, Iraq’s Al-Iraqiya channel began running a reality program called “Terror in the Hands of Justice.” The show consists of lengthy confessions by captured insurgents under interrogation by the Iraqi military. The insurgents come from all over the Arab world including Egypt, Syria, Sudan, Tunisia, and Saudi Arabia. All captured terrorists are asked their name, country of origin, birthday, how they got to Iraq, and about their affiliation with terrorist groups, and their training.Many of these captured insurgents have common themes to their stories, including pointing to Syrian intelligence as their main source of support and citing Al-Jazeera as a source of inspiration and motivation for jihad. The insurgents also provide interesting bits of information on how the terrorist networks they were part of operate in Iraq. On February 24, Egyptian Mahmoud Hassan, from the “Liberation Army,” discussed killing Iraqi National Guard members and getting paid $200 for each person killed. On the same episode, Sudanese fighter Kazem Al-Duma Omar explained how he was in charge of an “Arab squad” of Egyptian and Sudanese, trained by Syrian intelligence, whose mission it was to kill 10 soldiers (either American or Iraqi) at a time.Syrian intelligence officer Anas Ahmad Al-Issa confessed on Al-Iraqiya on February 23, explaining he was involved in 10-15 operations a day that consisted of setting booby traps, explosions, kidnappings, and assassinations.The coast city of Ladhqiya in Syria was mentioned by many fighters as their training place. On February 23, Iraqi Shihab Al-Sab’awi described his training course there to Al-Iraqiya. He detailed how Syrian intelligence slaughtered animals to train members of his group how to kill. He also explained that the Syrians paid for their stay in Iraq, including a salary of $1,500 for each member of the squad.Another Iraqi, Amjad ‘Uraibi, described meeting a Syrian who gave him directions to get to a “mujahideen camp” in Damascus run by Syrian intelligence. One of his proudest exploits was when his group captured and executed an Iraqi National Guard unit.Hassan Al-Khafaji, otherwise known as “Hassan The Butcher,” who at one time belonged to Saddam Hussein’s Fedayeen, confessed on March 9 and told about Abu Musab al-Zarqawi’s Al-Tawhid and Al-Jihad Brigade groups. He discussed kidnapping foreigners, slaughtering them, and then dropping their bodies on the side of roads. He detailed being given pills before his mission and getting paid between $100-150 for each one.Another Iraqi, Talal Ra’ad Sleiman Yasin, confessed on March 9 that he was inspired to jihad “to kill Americans” by his friends who told him about a fatwa from a high-ranking Saudi cleric permitting such actions.Iraqi Ghani Ahmad confessed on March 13 as to how he beheaded a member of the Iraqi National Guard. Similarly, on March 24, another Iraqi, Bahaa Nasser, confessed to using a dagger to slaughter Iraqi policeman.The Iraqi channel Al-Fayhaa, based in the United Arab Emirates, also has its own confession show. Saudi fighter Basem Saleh Jamil Kassar appeared on January 22 and explained how he was smuggled through Syria, influenced by Al-Jazeera, and arrangements for his Jihad were made in Saudi Arabia. On January 22, Tunisian Walid Al-Masmoudi also explained he was influenced by religious shows on Al-Jazeera.Muhammad Abd Al-Hadi Muhhamad, a Libyan who confessed to Al-Fayhaa, detailed how he entered Iraq through Syria. He said three Saudis accompanied him on his journey, and they all ended up in Fallujah. He explained that a sheikh in Banghazi issued a fatwa on jihad in Iraq that inspired him. He said 90% of car bombs were planted by American troops.On January 14, Iraqi Muayyid Al-Nasseri confessed to Al-Fayhaa, detailing the many armed operations against coalition forces he participated in. He admitted that he was a commander in “The Army of Muhammad,” led by ‘Izzat Ibrahim, who was vice chairman of the Revolutionary Command Council under Mr. Hussein. He also detailed how his group was primarily supported by Iran, and in particular generals and colonels of the Iranian intelligence. He explained he witnessed them giving $1 million and cars filled with weapons to fighters. The confessions mentioned in this article and others can be view at www.memritv.org.Mr. Stalinsky is executive director of The Middle East Media Research Institute.

Reality TV, Iraqi Style

Reality TV, Iraqi Style

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