[ti:Iraqi Broadcasters Who Helped Beat Islamic State] [by:www.51voa.com] [00:00.00]更多听力请访问51VOA.COM [00:00.20]The battle to free the Iraqi city of Mosul [00:04.60]from the Islamic State (IS) group lasted nine months. [00:11.40]The military operation involved hundreds of airstrikes [00:16.40]and a difficult Iraqi-led ground offensive. [00:22.12]Victory was finally declared last July [00:26.08]as IS fighters were forced from the city. [00:32.64]A new report suggests that one reason for the operation's success [00:39.16]was a campaign of information warfare by resistance forces. [00:46.40]It says the campaign took on IS propagandists [00:51.84]and destroyed the group's image of invincibility. [00:58.60]Mike Stevens wrote the report, [01:01.40]which was published by Britain's Royal United Services Institute. [01:10.20]Stevens is a former British army officer. [01:14.12]He says the occupation by IS forces [01:18.20]had a major effect on the citizens of Mosul. [01:22.56]He noted that many people felt like they were being held hostage. [01:29.72]Stevens says one of the greatest tools for ending that fear [01:34.68]was a radio station set up by two refugees, [01:39.12]who had fled to the city of Irbil, some 80 kilometers east of Mosul. [01:46.08]Using a single radio transmitter, [01:49.16]they set up Radio al-Ghad and began broadcasts for their home city. [01:57.76]To break Islamic State's oppressive presence, [02:01.52]the station combined telephone call-in programs and debate [02:06.80]with music and talent competitions. [02:11.16]Such events were barred during the IS occupation. [02:17.52]The radio station differed from other stations [02:21.12]because it had talent shows, which "come out of pain," [02:26.32]noted Mourad Khan in 2017. [02:30.76]He served as a radio host. [02:34.08]Radio al-Ghad also offered ground intelligence to coalition forces, [02:40.48]and even debated with IS commanders in its programs. [02:46.56]"What they did was give people space to speak. [02:50.72]And give people space to debate, [02:53.64]like a community radio station," the report said. [02:58.72]The station fought with IS for control of the airwaves, [03:03.56]which led to "them actually being in a dominant position," Stevens said. [03:10.00]Resistance groups throughout Mosul united under a common sign: [03:15.24]the Arabic letter "M" for "Muqawama," or resistance, [03:20.60]which began to appear on streets across the city. [03:26.08]After listening to the radio station, [03:28.96]many people were moved to personal acts of civil disobedience, [03:34.08]such as a graffiti campaign. [03:37.88]Iraqis began marking up and writing messages on the walls of the city. [03:44.36]Stevens says acts like these offered hope to the people of Mosul. [03:51.16]The battle on the radio for Mosul's population [03:55.08]offers examples for other conflict areas. [04:00.12]"We're at risk of becoming not very good at doing this at all [04:05.04]because we're losing a connection with local people," Stevens noted. [04:11.68]He also said that fighting war from a distance, [04:15.52]with the help of computers, has added to the problem. [04:20.19]The report says that repeating the success of Mosul's non-violent resistance [04:26.96]would only be possible with long-term deployment of ground troops [04:31.76]and the freedom to talk directly with local people. [04:36.96]I'm Susan Shand. [04:39.00]更多听力请访问51VOA.COM