Iraq/Pentagon TV Airs Tape of 11 Men 'Confessing' to be Syrian Terrorists

Iraqi TV Airs Tape of Purported Confession- Middle East - AP

By MAGGIE MICHAEL, Associated Press Writer
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=540&ncid=736&e=1&u=/ap/20050223/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq_video

BAGHDAD, Iraq - Iraqi state television aired a video Wednesday showing what the U.S.-funded channel said was the confession of a captured Syrian officer who said he trained Iraqi insurgents to behead people and build car bombs to attack American and Iraqi troops.

>>>>The video comes at a time when the Bush administration has stepped up pressure on Syria to stop meddling in Iraqi affairs by allowing insurgents to cross into the country to fight coalition troops and by harboring former Iraqi regime members. Syria has denied the charges.

In the video, the man, identified as Lt. Anas Ahmed al-Essa of the Syrian intelligence service, said his group had been recruited to "cause chaos in Iraq... to bar America from reaching Syria."

>>>>In the video, the bearded al-Essa, dressed in a gray jacket and shirt, claimed to be leader of the al-Fateh Army, which has not been heard of before.

>>>>He claimed he infiltrated into Iraq in 2001, about two years before the U.S. invasion, because Syrian intelligence was convinced that American military action loomed.


Iraqiya TV, the station that aired the purported confessions, is the military's propaganda mouthpiece that replaced Saddam's old prop station. The station is run by U.S. defense contractor, Science Applications International Corp (SAIC).

Iraq: US Firm To Run Iraqi TV
by Walter Pincus , Washington Post
January 12, 2004
http://www.corpwatch.org/article.php?id=7881

Information Warfare or Yesterday's News?
by Pratap Chatterjee, Special to CorpWatch
January 6, 2004
http://www.corpwatch.org/article.php?id=9508

Iraq: Is Anyone Watching The Iraqi Media Network?
by Cynthia Cotts, Village Voice (New York)
November 12, 2003
http://www.corpwatch.org/article.php?id=7894

US: American Firm Awarded Contract to Run Iraqi Media Network
Online NewsHour
January 12, 2004
http://www.corpwatch.org/article.php?id=9688

for it and it against federal law for public money to be used for propaganda within the US.

I mean on the Americans' part.

1) demonize the opponent.

Let's see how fast the U.S. media shills bite.