ISIS has been in the news almost daily for at least the last 2 years for atrocities committed in and around Iraq and Syria, and internationally as well.

They are well known to most as a brutal terrorist organization intent on creating an Islamic State that would encompass the entire middle-east. Their methods are well documented and can make even the most grizzled among us sick to our stomachs. For most politicians, ISIS represents an opportunity to employ a rally-around the flag effect, while for most people ISIS represents an evil danger to the western world.

This I trust is something most of us already know. What you may not have known however, is that ISIS are also fairly formidable Twitter marketers.

Because Twitter is meant to be used as a platform that promotes free speech, the regulations don’t allow for an easy blackout of all ISIS activity on the social platform. However, Twitter has shut down thousands of accounts linked back to the terrorist group. Twitter has been taking as many steps as possible but ISIS accounts simply keep coming up.

The efforts overall however have been positive, with Twitter saying that it has closed 360,000 accounts for promoting terrorism online, among them are ISIS accounts.

Typical propaganda for the group includes photos and videos of young men in military-esque attire doing terrible things to infidels and others they deem unworthy. They also have accounts that promote an image of tranquility within the Islamic State. However, what most don’t know is that ISIS also used cute little kittens as part of their recruitment strategy. If that wasn’t strange enough, they also saw some success from it.

That’s right, they had a Twitter account dedicated to posting cute pictures of kittens.  The account was called “Islamic State of Cat”. The account has since been suspended, as per the efforts of Twitter which we mentioned earlier. Even though the account was shut down, this picture from 2014 that ran in The Independent will give a glimpse into what the account once was.

(Source: The Independent)

The confusion doesn’t end there. Recent reports, within the last month, from some news outlets have claimed that ISIS is now waging a war on cats. Apparently, ISIS fighters in Mosul have been instructed to go door-to-door to dispose of any cats being kept in homes. It is surprising to see ISIS looking to dispose of cats and kittens, the same animal that helped attract 15,000 Jihadis from 80 countries when they operated the Islamic State of Cat Twitter account.

Snopes, the famous fact checking site, is also trying to ascertain the truth and is equally dumbfounded by the sudden change of heart ISIS has regarding cats.

Now naturally ISIS is no laughing matter and they are the root cause of far too much pain in the world. However, life is sometimes stranger than fiction. The main takeaway here is that if cute Twitter marketing can work for a despicable terrorist group, it can certainly help your retail business.

Happy Halloween and Good luck!