WASHINGTON — The US military dropped 60,000 leaflets on Daesh (the so-called IS) in Syria showing a grisly depiction of extremist recruits being fed into a meat grinder, the Pentagon said. An F-15E fighter jet last week unloaded a canister containing the graphic leaflets on the northern city of Raqa, the latest in an effort by a US-led coalition to undermine the Dsaesh extremists' own extensive propaganda and recruiting efforts. “The message of this leaflet is: if you find yourself recruited by Daesh, you will find yourself in a meat grinder — and it's not beneficial to your health,” said Pentagon spokesman Colonel Steven Warren, using the Arabic acronym for the IS group. The drawing shows young men lined up under a sign in Arabic, “Daesh Recruiting Office.” A Daesh man with a monstrous face is beckoning a frightened-looking recruit forward, while a second Daesh member is operating the meat grinder, pushing someone into the machine — which is labeled “Daesh.” Blood is spewing from the grinder's feeder tube, and two legs are sticking out. US diplomats and generals have said Daesh has proved adept at exploiting social media and reaching potential volunteers online with slickly produced videos. The leaflets were produced by members of Military Information Support Operations, known previously as psychological operations, Warren said. — Agencies
