France launches anti-jihad video: 'You will die alone'

PARIS, Jan. 29 (UPI) -- The French government unveiled an anti-extremist video as part of its "Stop Djihadisme" campaign.

The video's release Wednesday comes three weeks after Islamic extremists launched a deadly assault on the Paris offices of satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo and a kosher supermarket in the city that left 16 people dead.

In the graphic two-minute video posted to the interior ministry's website, the government presents what it considers the most prominent claims by extremists and seeks to counter them.

"You are told: Sacrifice yourself at our side, you will defend a fair cause.

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"In reality, you will discover hell on earth and you will die alone, far from your land."

"You are told: 'Come start a family with one of our heroes.

"In reality, you lift up your children in war and terror."

France saw a doubling in the number of its citizens joining the Islamic State in 2014.

Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve in November attributed the increase to the terrorists' use of the Internet as a recruitment tool. "Terrorist groups are powerfully organized on the Internet... They are calling on vulnerable youths to commit to carrying out very big terrorist acts."

Through its own Internet campaign, utilizing the hashtag #StopDjihadisme, the French government seeks to counter extremist propaganda by promoting vigilance.