“Use fear to degrade ISIS and defeat it,” he said. “ISIS does everything by the sword. One of the ways to defeat it is to use overwhelming power and to show people who might be inspired by ISIS that you can also apply the same level of fear and intimidation.”
Just as ISIS broadcasts videos of its victims being beheaded, the gory footage posted online by Shia militias and Kurdish fighters may serve a tactical function, dispelling ISIS’s mystique and send a message to those considering joining the group they may well die the same horrific death they fantasize they they will inflict on others, said Ali.But ISIS’s psychological tactics may also be turned against it. As the U.S. and its allies cast about for ideas to confront ISIS, those fighting them say it’s not enough to bomb them and list tallies of the dead in dry press releases — the grim footage of their deaths must be broadcast, said Ali, the Suleymaniyah-based researcher.