The Islamic State, better known as ISIS, raised the bar for terrorism in the digital age on Tuesday with its first YouTube movie trailer.
The trailer for “Flames of War,” which was released by the Islamic State’s propaganda arm, Al Hayat Media Center, runs less than a minute, but it packs in a lot of explosions and jabs at the West, complete with slow motion and special effects.
The trailer glorifies Islamic State, whose fighters are seen marching confidently with their rifles up; and demeans Western soldiers, who are seen running away and loading bodies onto helicopters. A haunting chant plays in the background.
A private intelligence analyst told NBC News that the video “appears to be officially declaring war on the U.S.” That makes one party to the conflict that isn’t afraid of calling it a war.
Halfway through the trailer, the footage switches from battlefield action to political drama. Flashes of imagery convey the group’s disdain for America: a group of dignitaries and soldiers walking through the desert; President George W. Bush’s infamous “Mission Accomplished’ banner; President Obama saying during his recent address to the nation that “American combat troops will not be returning to fight in Iraq; and the south face of the White House at night.
At the end of the video, something explodes and debris begins burning, as the title card shows the name “Flames of War,” the subtitle “Fighting Has Just Begun,” and the promise “coming soon.”
Screengrab via YouTube
