The Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) has released a new movie trailer-style propaganda video threatening U.S. troops and the White House.
The militant terror group vows that the “fighting has just begun” in the minutelong video, which features clips of American military forces under fire and a wounded U.S. soldier being taken from the battlefield.
{mosads}The clip, obtained by The New York Times and NBC News, also includes images of the “Mission Accomplished” banner that flanked President George W. Bush during a speech he gave on an aircraft carrier shortly after the U.S. invaded Iraq, as well as images of President Obama and the White House at night.
Audio of Obama declaring that American combat troops would not return to Iraq is dubbed over part of the clip, followed by an image of ISIS militants preparing to kill kneeling hostages. The terror group has previously released videos depicting the brutal decapitation of two U.S. journalists and a British aid worker.
The video concludes as the words “Flames of War” flash on the screen, followed by “Fighting has just begun” and “Coming Soon.”
It appeared possible that the release of the video was inspired, in part, by Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Martin Dempsey saying he could recommend U.S. troops entering battle against ISIS alongside Iraqi forces. That was the first time the administration raised the specter of U.S. ground troops getting involved in the operation, although the White House quickly dismissed the notion.
“The president does not believe that it would be in the best interest of our national security to deploy American ground troops in a combat role in Iraq and Syria,” White House press secretary Josh Earnest said on Tuesday. “That policy has not changed.”
On Wednesday, President Obama will visit with leaders at the U.S. Central Command at the MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa. CENTCOM is responsible for coordinating the U.S. military in the Middle East, and commanders there are leading the fight against ISIS.