Beirut: The militant Islamic State group released a video warning the United States that its fighters are waiting for it in Iraq if President Barack Obama sends troops there, as his top general said may happen if the current strategy of airstrikes fails.
The slick 52-second video entitled “Flames of War” shows militants blowing up tanks and images of wounded US soldiers. It then shows a clip of Mr Obama saying that combat troops will not be returning to Iraq, ending with a text overlay that reads “fighting has just begun.”
The video’s timing, released on Tuesday, suggested it was a response to Gen. Martin Dempsey, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, who said in testimony to the Senate Armed Services Committee that if the current Iraq strategy doesn’t prevail, he may recommend the use of ground troops.
The video was released by the Islamic State group’s al-Hayat media center and was portrayed as a trailer for a longer video to follow.
