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🧵" I'm not ISIS" The man in this video is a former ISIS member trying to deceive his way out of prison (Al-Hol Camp Northern Syria). Both videos in this thread make that abundantly clear: 1/9

But there's a fiasco playing out on pan-Arab media, along with Syrian state propagandists posing as journalists, that have presented this danger. A clear attempt to portray widespread false imprisonment on terrorism charges in the camp before the facts have even been verified. 2/9

This is dangerous not only because it risks terrorists escaping, but also the less obvious problem behind that risk, where those who should be reporting objectively, are weaponizing these prisoners to serve their side of a media war, with little regard for the damage it causes in the process. 3/9

Of course, many sharing the videos of prisoners who claim their innocence are genuinely concerned and rightfully so. They should speak out and defend any potential victims of false imprisonment, and certainly if they've been falsely accused of terrorism. No one should wish that on their enemy. 4/9

But there is also no shortage of those who don’t care about such victims at all and are simply shilling for the state and trying to score points against their adversaries, exploiting anything they can to land a political blow. 5/9

I'm not defending the SDF, just a point that one's grievances with them shouldn't mean engaging in reckless journalism, all it does is provoke those on the other side to respond. We end up in competition of deception, which is just another one of the depravities the current conflict generates. 6/9

The current conflict in northern Syria is creating layer upon layer of hatred and division, polarization the entire debate around how to move forward, a stark contrast to the unity Al-Sharaa claims the the deployment of his forces was meant to achieve. 7/9