truffs1010
05-13-2011, 10:41 AM
The Taliban has done away with its traditional contempt for modern technology and embraced microblogging by joining Twitter.
Despite a history of ignoring television and stereo systems while it was in government, the group has realised the importance of being heard by a global audience and has started tweeting in English and Pashtu.
The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan – as the Taliban likes to call its shadow government - posts several tweets each day on its feed @alemarahweb, mostly announcing strikes against "infidel forces", the Guardian reports.
Most messages link to news stories on the IEA website, as the Taliban's shadow government likes to style itself.
"Fifth US tank obliterated in Nawzad," says one tweet, while another reads: "11 US-NATO invaders killed."
The Taliban has more than 1,000 followers, a number that is swiftly rising.
It has chosen to follow some unlikely twitterers. Among them is a charity supporting British troops in Afghanistan and a person who describes himself as a US Air Force logistics officer working for the Afghan army.
"It appears they want to improve their outreach," Bartnett Rubin, Senior Fellow at NYU's Center for International Cooperation, told The New York Daily News. "Mobile phones are very widespread in Afghanstan, but computers are not. Hence this makes a lot of sense."
The IEA ruled Afghanistan from 1996 until 2001.
Despite a history of ignoring television and stereo systems while it was in government, the group has realised the importance of being heard by a global audience and has started tweeting in English and Pashtu.
The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan – as the Taliban likes to call its shadow government - posts several tweets each day on its feed @alemarahweb, mostly announcing strikes against "infidel forces", the Guardian reports.
Most messages link to news stories on the IEA website, as the Taliban's shadow government likes to style itself.
"Fifth US tank obliterated in Nawzad," says one tweet, while another reads: "11 US-NATO invaders killed."
The Taliban has more than 1,000 followers, a number that is swiftly rising.
It has chosen to follow some unlikely twitterers. Among them is a charity supporting British troops in Afghanistan and a person who describes himself as a US Air Force logistics officer working for the Afghan army.
"It appears they want to improve their outreach," Bartnett Rubin, Senior Fellow at NYU's Center for International Cooperation, told The New York Daily News. "Mobile phones are very widespread in Afghanstan, but computers are not. Hence this makes a lot of sense."
The IEA ruled Afghanistan from 1996 until 2001.