The entire country of Turkey was reportedly blocked from accessing Twitter, YouTube, and Facebook after ISIS released a video of two Turkish soldiers being burned alive on Thursday.
The 19-minute video shows two uniformed men being hauled from a cage before being bound and torched. According to Al Jazeera, the video was shot in the ISIS-declared “Aleppo Province” in northern Syria.
The executioner in the video criticizes Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and calls for “destruction to be sowed” in Turkey.
According to the ISIS-linked news agency Amaq, ISIS kidnapped the two Turkish soldiers last month. The Turkish army separately reported losing contact with two of its men.
Syrian activists said the soldiers went missing in the area of al-Dana, northwest of al-Bab, in late November, according to the Associated Press.
The blockage of social media in Turkey was first reported by Turkey Blocks, a website that seeks to “identify and validate reports of internet mass-censorship events.”
The website reported users having problems accessing the three websites following the release of the video.
Confirmed: Twitter, Facebook and YouTube blocked in #Turkey after #IS uploads soldier videohttps://t.co/xeOXVf8tP2 pic.twitter.com/XZ9kWCpiF7
— Turkey Blocks (@TurkeyBlocks) December 22, 2016
The websites appeared to be back to normal on Friday. AP reported that Turkey frequently restricts access to social media websites to prevent the spread of graphic images and other material authorities say would harm public order or security.
Warning: Graphic Content
© 2016 Bright Mountain Media, Inc.
All rights reserved. The content of this webpage may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written consent of Bright Mountain Media, Inc. which may be contacted at info@brightmountainmedia.com, ticker BMTM.
US considering using military force to rescue family held captive by Taliban
Infamous Vietnam war desterer hoping to rally millennials against war