False rumors, news ... New special warfare method targeting Deir ez-Zor people

After failed attempts to incite Deir ez-Zor people against its Civil Administration and the Syrian Democratic Forces, the special war of the intervening forces in Syria began using social media as a means to strike stability in the region, but Ghassan al-Youssef emphasized that strengthening the home front would thwart these attempts as well.

7 January, 2021 03:39

DEIR EZ-ZOR - AHMED MOHAMED

The phenomenon of spreading rumors and false news on social media has recently started, targeting in particular the people of Deir ez-Zor eastern countryside, in order to distort the image of the Civil Administration that administers the region, create discord and undermine security and stability.

The adoption of this method came after the sleeper cells failed to reach their goals in order to incite the people against the Civil Administration and the Syrian Democratic Forces by targeting tribal figures and inciting the people to demonstrate against the administration by playing on the national and sectarian chord.

These sleeper cells have multiple loyalties, some of them are related to ISIS mercenaries, some others to the Syrian government and its loyalists from Russian and Iranians, and others work for the benefit of Turkey and its mercenary groups.

There is a systematic media campaign against the Civil Administration in Deir ez-Zor

In this context, the co-chair of Deir ez-Zor Civil Council, Ghassan Al-Youssef, says: "There is a systematic media campaign against the Civil Administration in Deir ez-Zor, the causes of which are due to its strategic location and its richness in underground wealth."

Al-Youssef pointed out that the importance of Deir ez-Zor prompted regional and international parties and powers to focus on this region and push for striking its stability under the Civil Administration.

They try to thwart victory over ISIS

He added: "The Syrian Democratic Forces' elimination of the last strongholds of ISIS mercenaries in al-Baghouz militarily angered many parties, prompting them to work by various means to thwart this victory, whether targeting the security of the region through the sleeper cells or by other parties linked to external parties working on distorting facts, spreading rumors and insulting the Civil Administration.

These rumors are spread on social networks such as "Facebook, YouTube, WhatsApp and Telegram," due to the reliance of the majority of region's residents on social media networks as a source of information, and the people's lack of knowledge of the special warfare methods targeting them.

Regarding the pages that spread rumors, Al-Youssef said: "There are news networks and social media pages that are working to offend the Civil Administration and overturn the facts in Deir ez-Zor to distort the image of the existing administration and stir up strife among clans and components."

Most of these pages are run from abroad, and they deal with sleeper cells that are constantly working to create discord and spread rumors to achieve their goals.

Al-Youssef emphasized that what the Civil Administration in Deir ez-Zor is exposed to is a deliberate and systematic targeting of the media, in order to distort the facts, with the aim of pushing the region to more tension, creating a kind of instability, and striking confidence between the administration and the citizens.

On the media reality in Deir ez-Zor regions, Amer Morad, the Media Office Official in the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria, said: "The media reality in Deir ez-Zor can be described as bad, given the small number of media outlets in those areas and the limited dependence of the people on social media whose affiliation are not known, and broadcast rumors and fabricated news."

This phenomenon is increasing in the eastern suburbs of Deir ez-Zor recently, through pages bearing the names of the towns located within this geography.

Six media institutions operate in Deir ez-Zor regions, 3 of them are linked to the Civil Administration of Deir ez-Zor, and 3 other independent media institutions, licensed by the Media Office of Deir ez-Zor Civil Council; however, they suffer from weakness due to the lack of sufficient experience among their cadres.

In this context, Morad says: "The number of media outlets operating in that region is very small, and media institutions there suffer from poor performance as a result of lack of experience, as well as the security situation and the spread of sleeper cells hindering the work of media professionals to convey the facts, and this is what makes the media coverage of the region little and be a cause for the absence of accurate information."

In order to circulate these rumors and deliver them to the targeted class in the towns of the eastern countryside of Deir ez-Zor, those parties publish inflammatory information to incite the clans against each other, direct accusations to certain parties on all what is going on, and accuse the Civil Administration of all that is going on.

Websites that spread rumors are run from abroad

Morad asserts that those pages do not exist on the ground, are managed from the outside, and work only on social media, and fabricated videos or from other regions are spread, claiming to be in the region, all in order to create a kind of instability in the region.

Rumors are considered one of the most dangerous phenomena known to mankind, especially in times of wars and crises, due to their incitement to sedition, confusion, posing threat to public security, and giving opportunity to spread chaos, in addition to opening the door for several parties to exploit them in achieving their goals.

Autonomous Administration is about to open a T.V channel and other media outlets in Deir ez-Zor countryside

With regard to ways to limit the spread of those rumors and deliver accurate information to the people of Deir ez-Zor, the official of the Information Office in the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria, Amer Morad, explained that the Administration is in the process of opening an official T.V channel for the region, and is also working on opening a radio and official newspapers project.

The co-chair of Deir ez-Zor Civil Council, Ghassan Al-Youssef said: "We affirm our endeavor to strengthen the home front despite the difficulties and pressures we are exposed to, and we are working to stand against these great pressures. Furthermore, the council is ready to cooperate and work for the benefit of the region."

D.H

ANHA