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| | logo = ] | | logo = ] | ||
| | launch date = 2014 | | launch date = 2014 | ||
| | current status = Active |
| current status = Active | ||
| | language = Arabic, English, French | | language = Arabic, English, French | ||
| | founder = Rayan Meshaal<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.lemonde.fr/syrie/article/2017/05/31/un-fondateur-d-aamaq-l-agence-de-propagande-de-l-ei-tue-en-syrie_5136836_1618247.html|title=Un fondateur d’Aamaq, l’agence de propagande de l’EI, tué en Syrie|date=31 May 2017|publisher=|via=Le Monde}}</ref> | | founder = Rayan Meshaal<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.lemonde.fr/syrie/article/2017/05/31/un-fondateur-d-aamaq-l-agence-de-propagande-de-l-ei-tue-en-syrie_5136836_1618247.html|title=Un fondateur d’Aamaq, l’agence de propagande de l’EI, tué en Syrie|date=31 May 2017|publisher=|via=Le Monde}}</ref> | ||
Revision as of 17:10, 17 September 2017
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| File:Amaq logo.svg | |
| Available in | Arabic, English, French |
|---|---|
| Founder(s) | Rayan Meshaal |
Amaq News Agency is a news outlet linked to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), It is often the "first point of publication for claims of responsibility by the group".
History
Amaq was created by Syrian journalist Baraa Kadek, who joined IS in late 2013, and seven others who originally worked for Halab News Network. According to the New York Times, it has "a direct connection with ISIS", from which it "gets tips".
Amaq News Agency was first noticed by SITE during the Siege of Kobanî (Syria) in 2014, when its updates were shared among ISIL fighters. It became more widely known after it began reporting claims of responsibility for terrorist attacks in Western countries, such as the 2015 San Bernardino attack, for which ISIL officially claimed responsibility the next day. An Amaq cameraman shot the first footage of the capture of Palmyra in 2015.
Amaq launched an official mobile app in 2015 and has warned against unofficial versions that reportedly have been used to spy on its users. It also uses a Telegram account. It had a WordPress-based blog, but it was removed without explanation in April 2016.
On May 31, 2017, a Facebook post announced Amaq's founder, Baraa Kadek AKA Rayan Meshaal, was killed with his daughter by an American airstrike on Mayadin. The post was reportedly made by his younger brother. Reuters could not immediately verify this account. On July 27, 2017, the US confirmed he was killed by a coalition airstrike near Mayadin between May 25 and 27, 2017.
Mohammed G.
In June 2017, German police arrested a 23-year-old Syrian man identified only as Mohammed G., accusing him of being an ISIL member and of communicating with alleged perpetrators after attacks such as the 2016 Malmö Muslim community centre arson in order to report to Amaq.
Character
Amaq publishes a stream of short news reports, both text and video, on an encrypted mobile app. The reports take on the trappings of mainstream journalism, with "Breaking News" headings, and embedded reporters at the scenes of ISIL battles. The reports try to appear neutral, toning down the jihadist language and sectarian slurs ISIL uses in its official releases.
Experts—like Charlie Winter of the Transcultural Conflict and Violence Initiative at Georgia State University, and Rita Katz of SITE Intelligence Group in Washington—say Amaq functions much like the state-owned news agency of ISIL, though the group does not acknowledge it as such. Katz said it behaves "like a state media. ISIS sees themselves as a state, as a country — and a country needs to have its own media". Amaq appears to have been created, or allowed to develop, by ISIS as a way to have a news outlet that is controlled by the group but is somewhat removed from it, giving ISIL more of the appearance of legitimacy.
Reliability
According to Chris Tomson of the Assad-friendly Al-Masdar News, Amaq "is usually accurate" when reporting ISIL advances but "never admits caliphate losses."
According to Rukmini Callimachi in The New York Times: "Despite a widespread view that the Islamic State opportunistically claims attacks with which it has little genuine connection, its track record — minus a handful of exceptions — suggests a more rigorous protocol. At times, the Islamic State has gotten details wrong, or inflated casualty figures, but the gist of its claims is typically correct. The group has made it clear that it considers itself responsible both for acts carried out by its own personnel, as well as acts carried out by people who lack direct ties to the group but were inspired by its propaganda. In several instances, moreover, the Islamic State has claimed attacks before the identities of the killers were known".
References
- "Un fondateur d'Aamaq, l'agence de propagande de l'EI, tué en Syrie". 31 May 2017 – via Le Monde.
- ^ "A News Agency With Scoops Directly From ISIS, and a Veneer of Objectivity". The New York Times. 14 January 2016. Retrieved 5 August 2016.
- "Siria, fondatore agenzia ufficiale Isis "Amaq" ucciso in raid Usa". It.notizie.yahoo.com. Retrieved 2017-08-19.
- ^ "Islamic State: Fake version of Isis Amaq news app is spying on its supporters". International Business Times. 2 June 2016.
- "Islamic State claims responsibility for Nice attack - Amaq news agency". In.reuters.com. Retrieved 2017-08-19.
- "US-led coalition strike 'kills founder of Islamic State media outlet Amaq'". Telegraph.co.uk. Retrieved 2017-08-19.
- "Coalition removes ISIS leaders from battlefield". U.S. Central Command. 27 July 2017.
- ^ Kallimachi, Rukmini (8 June 2017). "Syrian Accused of Working for ISIS News Agency Is Arrested in Germany". The New York Times. Retrieved 9 June 2017.
- Dearden, Lizzie (9 June 2017). "Isis propagandist who linked terrorists with Amaq 'news agency' arrested in Germany". The Independent. Retrieved 11 July 2017.
- Tomson, Chris. 5 Syrian soldiers killed near Palmyra despite huge territorial setback for ISIS. Al-Masdar News. 2017-04-27.