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American CENTCOM Is Targeting ISIS "Electronic Warfare" Garrisons

Whether it's trying to stop Terrorist Twitter or hackers is unclear.

​Today, US Central Command (CENTCOM) released new videos of its ongoing airstrikes against Islamic State targets all over Iraq and Syria. It was the usual series of black and white videos of obscured targets in fields lined up with laser sights, before a bomb and sudden explosion eliminates the enemy.

But in one video, CENTCOM singles out one of its target as an "electronic warfare garrison" without providing any specifics on the unit. Whether the fighters inside that compound—located somewhere near Ar Raqqah, Syria—were hackers deploying cyber attacks on ISIS enemies, or online propagandists, is unclear.

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The video shows a grid-like compound accurately targeted and then lit up by bombs.

According to the ​CENTCOM release, targets in the hotly contested Syrian town of Kobani were bombed, along with several locations around Iraq. Besides the electronic warfare garrison, the airstrikes destroyed a mixture of armored vehicles, heavy weapons, and other ISIS compounds.

"The strikes were conducted as part of Operation Inherent Resolve, the operation to eliminate the ISIL terrorist group and the threat they pose to Iraq, the region and the wider international community," said the release. "The destruction of ISIL targets in Syria and Iraq further limits the terrorist group's ability to project terror and conduct operations."

Whoever the targeted electronic warfare unit was, it signals American interest in destroying the cyber capabilities of ISIS—a paramilitary organization more known for beheadings and physically conquering large swaths of Syria and Iraq.

While the hacking chops of ISIS have been​ called into question before, its online propaganda has been ​begrudgingly admired by Western media for its obvious sophistication.

One Western fighter in the ranks of ISIS—​known for his propaganda film appearances—worked in internet cafes and bases near Raqqah, which is known to be the de facto capital of the Islamic State. There's no question things like ​beheading videos and tweeting military invasions work in favour of ISIS, especially considering ​Western intelligence admittedly monitors its social media presence with hawkish eyes.

Whether the root cause or not, links have even been made between the Canadian attacks on military personnel in October and ​ISIS propaganda. Just last week an Ottawa native in the ranks of the terrorist organization ​called on more Canadians to attack regular citizens.

In other words, whatever the intention of those airstrikes were, it's a good bet the military offensives might just be targeting the tweeting jihadists we've come to know since the brutal ISIS invasions started in June.