Oldest instance I could find. Ron Paul Institute referenced it in a post.
https:// mobile.twitter.com/Brown_Noses/status/417462117369778177
There are fake Arab cities in US deserts. They use them for training purposes in the military. They hire actors to play the roles of the native population and simulate events.
I wonder if this whole Syrian rebellion and Islamic caliphate were a stage act that was manufactured as an ad campaign to recruit an army of mercenaries