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from the from-social-media-to-social-propoganda dept.
http://www.cnn.com/2016/11/14/middleeast/aleppo-fighting/
Residents of war-ravaged eastern Aleppo were waiting anxiously on Monday after receiving a terrifying text message telling them to flee or die. The text message sent Sunday to residents warned the sick and wounded to leave before a "strategically planned assault using high precision weapons occurs within 24 hours." It was most likely sent by the Syrian government as the regime is the only party believed capable of sending a text en masse, and has been in a months-long bid to regain control of the area held by rebels. Despite the threat and a worsening humanitarian situation, many are refusing to leave.
[...] In the text message warning, rebels were also given an ultimatum to lay down their arms and renounce their leadership, or be killed. The 24-hour period mentioned in the text has passed, and while witnesses told CNN they saw warplanes swirling the city, there have so far been no reports of airstrikes. But people believe it is still coming.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by fishybell on Wednesday November 16 2016, @02:42AM
I assume the people who work and maintain the cellular network in Aleppo live in or near Aleppo. I further assume that any organization from the Syrian goverment to the rebels to ISIS are all capable of using the $5 wrench [xkcd.com] method of sending out an en masse text message.
My assumptions are not completely frivolous. Working with any networking equipment gives technicians practically unfettered access to everything one would need to do something like this.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday November 16 2016, @06:15AM
the only party believed capable of sending a text en masse
Or, it coulda been Trump, or the CIA, or the MI6, or the NSA, or the Russian dudes (what do they call themselves these days?), or my neighbor Biff, who seems to go by "Ethanol_fuelling" on-line. Any of these. Killing civilians though, that is warcrime, dude! We will eventually warcrime charge you, and then your dead sorry ass will be a convicted warcriminal sorry ass, just like Tojo and George W! No shit, dude!
(Score: 2) by DeathMonkey on Wednesday November 16 2016, @06:38PM
No, this must be fake. I've been repeatedly assured that Syrians are fleeing for free money in Germany. Not due to threat to life and limb.