ISIL Takes British Hostage John Cantlie to Besieged Kobane
TEHRAN (Tasnim) - In what seems like a new propaganda move by the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), the group has released a video showing British hostage John Cantlie apparently walking and speaking in the besieged Syrian town of Kobane.
Kobane, also known by its Arabic name Ayn al-Arab, has been under siege from the extremists for over a month. Kurdish forces defending the strategic town on the Syrian-Turkish border have recently said they have mostly pushed ISIL out.
The 5-minute video named “Inside Ayn al-Islam” shows Cantlie walking around the debris of destroyed buildings in what appear to be Kobane. In the video the hostage acts as a ‘reporter’ on the ground denying the reports that ISIL forces have been ousted from the town.
Experts analyzing earlier ISIL propaganda videos featuring Cantlie have suggested that he is speaking under duress, RT reported.
The message of the video is that despite the media reports Kobane is about to fall completely under ISIL control. "The mujahedeen are just mopping up now, street to street, and building to building," the hostage says.
The high-resolution video also includes footage of Kobane apparently shot from an ISIL drone hovering over the deserted streets and ruins of the town.
British journalist John Cantlie who worked for the Sunday Times, the Sun and the Sunday Telegraph was first taken hostage by jihadists in July 2012 in Syria. He was later released but returned to the country later that year where he was captured again.
