By Sean Osborne
Northeast Intelligence NetworkThursday, January 4, 2007
Note: I've not yet located a report asyet concerning the covert Saddam execution video having been aired onthis satellite TV station. My note is in red.
al-Zawraa: Muj TV
10 December 2006
The Iraqi insurgency has a satelliteTV station, called al-Zawraa. Insurgent propaganda, 24/7, believed to bebroadcast from Syria.
FALLUJAH, iRAQ: The information front in the LongWar is perhaps the war's most vital. And it is one front where the West isperceived as losing. While Coalition forces and Middle Eastern allies faceshadowy transnational terrorist organizations such as al-Qaeda and itsaffiliates on the battlefields of Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan and elsewhere,the battle for hearts and minds is being fought on the Internet, print, cableand satellite television, and other forms of media. In Iraq, the al-Zawraasatellite television network is broadcasting insurgent propaganda 24 hours aday, 7 days a week.
Al-Zawraa television was set up by Mishan al-Jabouri, a formermember of the Iraqi parliament and leader of the Sunni Arab Front forReconciliation and Liberation. Al-Jabouri fled to Syria after being chargedwith corruption for embezzling government funds and purportedly for supportingal-Qaeda.
There is an ongoing controversy over thenetwork's sponsorship. Is al-Zawraa supported by the Islamic Army in Iraq, aBaathist dominated insurgent group, or al-Qaeda in Iraq's Mujahideen ShuraCouncil? The distinction may be meaningless, as the two organizations haveworked together in the past to conduct terrorist attacks throughout the countryagainst Iraqi and Coalition security forces. The Islamic Army in Iraq claims to be a nationalist group that onlyattacks military and police organizations, while al-Qaeda has no qualms aboutkilling civilians while pursuing its violent jihad.
The broadcast source of the al-Zawraa network issaid to be unknown, but the Egyptian owned Nielsat* satellite network
(*NOTE: The above is atypo. It is Nilesat. Here is the footprintof the Nilesat101"bird" coverage: www.nilesat.com.eg/satfootprint.htm Here is the channel lineup:www.nilesat.com.eg/channel_list_101.htm Al-Zawraa is on Channel 106. The UPLINK is vertically polarized Ku-bandtransmission from a fixed ground station on Transponder 2 operating at 11.747GHz. Nilesat 101's Beacon Frequency is 12.498 MHz. Nilesat 101 is ingeosynchronous orbit 22,300 miles in altitude at 7 degrees West Longitude (onthe equator, due south of the Liberian-Ivory Coast coast of Africa, in theGuinea Basin). Removing al-Zawraafrom broadcast operation would be as simple as childsp lay.)
While spending time with the Military TransitionTeam at the Fallujah Government Center, I watched al-Zawraa with two soldiersfrom the Iraqi Army, sergeants Riad and Abul Zuhrih, and two Iraqi translators,'Nick' and 'Wilson.' The interpreters (or terps) must use assumed names as theyare under persistent death threats. Wilson, who is from Baghdad, has had threeattempts on his life. They gave their view on the propaganda in the al-Zawraabroadcast, and the effects on the the Iraqi people.
The soldiers and terps described the meaning ofthe images, music and voice overs. There were songs about the Iraqi "victims"of the "U.S. occupiers." The violence in Iraq is squarely placed on theshoulders of the Americans. The images include destroyed mosques, dead womenand children, women weeping of the death of their family, bloodstained floors,the destruction of U.S. humvees and armored vehicles, and insurgents firingmortars, RPGs, rockets and AK-47s. Juba, the mythical Iraqi sniper, wasfeatured prominently (the Iraqi soldiers believe he is a composite of multiplesnipers.)
The "mujahideen" are portrayed as "freedomfighters," and are seen going through " boot camp training." Attacks fromacross the country were shown, including in Abu Ghraib, Ramadi, Fallujah,Baiji, Baghdad and elsewhere. The soldiers are seasoned veterans from the 1stIraqi Army Division, and have served throughout Iraq. Most of the footage waspopular, rehashed videos widely distributed on the Internet and in jihadiforums. I recognized many of the videos.
The soldiers were angry at the images beforethem. "They destroyed my country," said Staff Sergeant Riad, "The muj areruthless, brutal, but I'm not scared of them."
They believed the "channel exists because of weakIraqi government" but "no-one can or will shut it down." The soldiers and terpswere certain of where the broadcast originated. "This starts from Syria, wewant it shut down," said Nick.
Al-Zawraa has a strong anti-Shia message. Thechannel portrays "Sunnis fighting the occupation while Shiites do nothing."Al-Zawra "promotes a civil war" between the Iraqi people, and "makes the Shialook like Iranian stooges, betrayers of the Iraqi people," according toSergeant Abul Zuhrih. Iranian backed Muqtada al-Sadr, the leader of the MahdiArmy, is a focus of attacks from al-Zawraa. "The station calls Sadr and [his]militia gangsters," said Wilson.
According both the interpreters, "the news scrollpromotes the Islamic Army of Iraq." The music is nationalist and Baathist inorigin, with verses from the Koran, and does not contain traditional al-Qaedaor other jihadi music, messages or themes.
When asked about the impact of al-Zawraa on theIraqi people, Iraqi soldiers and interpreters agreed al-Zawraa dispenses"effective [anti-government] propaganda."
"Before the insurgency was mysterious to theSunnis, now it has a real face," said Nick.
While the Iraqi soldiers and interpreters wantal-Zawraa shut down, members of the U.S. intelligence community disagree.According to a military intelligence officer serving in Iraq, U.S. intelligencedoesn't want to shut al-Zawraa down as it provides intelligence on theinsurgents activities. When I asked senior American military and intelligencesources about shutting down pro-jihadi websites in the past, they expressed thesame sentiment.
This is major dilemma in the modern age of informationwarfare. On one hand, programs like al-Zawraa provide ready and effectivepropaganda and recruiting material for the insurgency and al-Qaeda, whiledemoralizing both Western and Middle Eastern allies. On the other, theintelligence gleaned from these operations is deemed too valuable to turn offthe tap.
UPDATE: 25DECEMBER 2006
Al-ZawraaResponds to Muj TV
Mashaan Jabouri, the owner ofal-Zawraa, responds to my post, Muj TV
While in Fallujah, I wrote about al-Zawraa, orwhat the Iraqis refer to as "Muj TV." This is a satellite televisionstation that broadcasts attacks on U.S., Coalition and Iraqi security forces,as well as calls for incitement against Shiites and Iranians. Al-Zawraa wasfounded by Mishan al-Jabouri (or Mashaan Aljabouri), a former member ofparliament who has been charged by the Iraqi government with embezzling moneyfrom the government and supporting al-Qaeda.
In al-Zawraa: Muj TV, I noted there is little reason tomake distinctions between the Islamic Army in Iraq, the insurgent group thatsponsors al-Zawraa, and al-Qaeda,at this point in time. Since Muj TV was published, it has been reported theIslamic Army in Iraq has joined the Islamic State in Iraq, al-Qaeda's politicalfront organization designed to legitimize its role in the insurgency. I alsonoted theIraqis that I viewed this program with felt al-Zawraa was strictly aBaathist/secular program. DaveedGartenstein-Ross and Nick Grace were ore forceful and declaredal-Zawraa an arm of al-Qaeda.
Mishan al-Jabouri has responded to the claims oflinks between al-Zawaraa and al-Qaeda, and categorically denied anyassociation. He states al-Zawraa is "an Iraqi patriot station,""has no sponsor and it is independently financed by its owner," and"has no relations whatsoever with Al-Qaeda... but it respects thoseMujahideen who devoted and sacrifice themselves to defend Sunnis..."Al-Jabouri also called Prime Minister Maliki "an agent of Iran."
It should be noted that Mishan al-Jabouri has avested interest in dissociating himself from al-Qaeda. He has been implicatedwith colluding with al-Qaeda by the Iraqi government, and the Iraqi governmentand Coalition forces have been quite clear that senior al-Qaeda operatives willnot be granted amnesty in any future reconcilliation program.
Mishan al-Jabouri's letter to me is published infull below, unedited:
Fakesand lies against Alzawraa TV
Inrelation your article published at The Forth Rail at December, 23; we want toinform you that Alzawraa TV is an Iraqi patriot station that expresses theattitude of the majority of Iraqi people toward the current situation after theU.S occupation, distraction and the sectarian crimes against Sunnis people ofIraq which occur every day as daily massacres.
AlzawraaTV has no sponsor and it is independently financed by its owner, Mr.MashaanAljabouri to express its resistance against occupation and sectarian crimes.Alzawraa transmits some news or documentary films that it receives from foreignagencies which shows what we call Mujahideen and you call insurgents activitiesagainst US army or other forces Alzawraa transmits also some materials from itsarchive that express its own independent thoughts against sectarians andpolitical parties supported by Iran.
Wecan assure you that Alzawraa TV has no relations whatsoever with Al-Qaeda asyou claimed but it respects those Mujahideen who devoted and sacrificethemselves to defend Sunnis who are targeted by both American army andSectarian militias encouraged by the sectarian Government of Al- Maliky andother slaughterers...
Webelieve that as US had claimed the presence of Mass Destruction weapons in Iraqthe US media also continues to fabricate fakes and lies against Alzawaa TV.
Wehere by assure that our station represents our Bloc for reconciliation andLiberation as a political movement supporting Liberation...not the Occupationof our country and we are pure Iraqis whether political movement or TV station.
Ourattitude to resist crimes against our people and destruction of our mother landthat's why we find that all information about Alzawaa TV is not true but on thecontrary serving the interest of the sectarian government of Almaliky who is ahumble servant of Iran with The Shiites coalition against Iraqi people whosuffer from poverty, diseases and sectarian killing.
Hopingto find our response published in your next edition.
Regards
MashaanAljabouri
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