The al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula terror group has filmed a video to help its fighters avoid detection by Predator drones in Yemen.
The Washington Times reported that the jihadist faction’s footage offers detailed instructions on hiding the heat their bodies give off by constructing and using a portable body wrap.
The how-to video proves that extremist groups have been studying U.S. military methods, which are often openly revealed online, and then invent ways to counteract them, the Times reported.
The 16-minute "Combating Spy Airplanes" film consists of an arts-and-crafts lesson combined with a science project, which is then edited together with U.S. military public relations videos.
The instructions show a body-size tarp being smeared with glue, then basic supermarket aluminum pressed against it. Then more glue and another tarp is added to create a kind of aluminum sandwich, according on the Times.
A scene is then played showing a fighter hearing or seeing a Predator drone overhead and quickly huddling inside the insulation, which can be folded up for easy transport. The insulation can be improved by adding tree branches and painting a camouflage pattern.
The video ends with a segment showing how convoys should seek cover once an airplane is seen or heard.
"One part of their military strategy is to distribute videos and information to followers online, particularly via Twitter and YouTube, showing that they are actively engaged in countering the impact drones have had on their capabilities," said Steve Stalinsky, director of the Middle East Media Research Institute.
An analyst for the Washington-based group, which tracks jihadi communications, told the Times that the aluminum insulation is supposed to act like a heart barrier, "keeping the fighter’s body heat from being detected by the drone camera system."
A spokesman for U.S. Central Command, which oversees military operations in Yemen, said it "wouldn’t discuss the possible effectiveness or ineffectiveness of specific enemy [procedures], nor would we speculate on how they derive their information."
While it is not known if the insulation technique actually works, strategic analysts said that 13 years of drone strikes have not stopped the al-Qaida group from gaining strength in Yemen.
A recent video showed a massive gathering of its fighters out in the open, being addressed by their leader, Nasir al-Wuhayshi, the Times said.
"Our long drone war against AQAP has been remarkably ineffective,” said Robert Spencer, who directs JihadWatch.org, of the al-Qaida group in Yemen. "AQAP now controls much of Yemen and acts at will there.
"They are clearly not cowed, not afraid, not on the defensive."
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