Analysis: How Taliban used Twitter in first year of power - BBC Monitoring

Insight
    BBC MONITORING
    REPORTED 12 AUG 2022 15:00 GMT   PUBLISHED 12 AUG 2022 15:16 GMT

Analysis: How Taliban used Twitter in first year
of power
BY ABDIRAHIM SAEED & AHMED NOUR

                                                                                        TWITTER

 Twitter accounts associated with the Taliban increased their messaging over the past year

Twitter has proved to be a cornerstone of the Taliban's messaging in its first year of rule in
Afghanistan.

Since their return to power in Kabul on 15 August 2021, the Taliban have been prolific in their
use of the platform, disseminating their main lines on a daily basis to users across the world,
including to governments and journalists.

The focus on Twitter was confirmed by an official from the group in the days that followed their
takeover.

See also: Analysis: How do the Taliban use Twitter? (2021)

Twitter did not adopt a hardline approach against the group following their ascension to power,
whilst other major networks - like Facebook and YouTube - have explicitly banned them.

BBC Monitoring has, therefore, analysed more than 350,000 Twitter posts published by over
200 accounts associated with the Taliban, from 1 August 2021 to 31 July 2022.

As part of this analysis, these Twitter accounts have been categorised in three groups: Taliban
officials, Taliban-linked media outlets, and Twitter influencers who appear to propagate the
group's messaging and narratives.

KEY FINDINGS
Twitter accounts associated with Taliban officials have increased their messaging by around
55% over the past year, using Pashto in 52% of their 96,420 posts. Alongside Dari, Pashto is
one of the country’s official two languages, and the Taliban government has received criticism
for the movement’s perceived Pashtun dominance.

Overall, the Taliban have adopted a government-like tone on Twitter. This has both ensured
their durability on the platform, which removes extremist messaging and content, and
supported their wider narrative of statehood as the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA).

This resilience on Twitter is the envy of jihadist groups, such as the Islamic State group (IS)
and al-Qaeda, who have struggled to maintain such a presence on major platforms.

Muhammad Jalal (@MJalal313), a prominent member of the Taliban's cultural commission, is
the most active Taliban official on Twitter; while Suhail Shaheen, a high-profile Taliban
spokesperson, is the most prolific Taliban account with over 634,000 followers.

METHODOLOGY
None of the accounts selected for analysis carry the blue tick mark that indicates the identities
of the account holders have been verified by Twitter.

However, BBC Monitoring has compiled a list of 216 accounts that strongly appear to belong to
Taliban officials and entities, Taliban-linked outlets, and prominent Taliban supporters.

For the first two groups, BBC Monitoring relied on previously-known Taliban accounts, such as
the one belonging to spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid (@Zabehulah_M33), cross-promoting
other accounts. Such accounts also regularly warn of "fake" accounts that allegedly
impersonate Taliban officials, outlets or ministries.

In addition, following their takeover, the Taliban became the administrators of a number of
official ministry Twitter accounts which had been created by the previous government.

Using these methods, BBC Monitoring identified 95 official Taliban accounts, including those
representing Taliban spokesmen, politicians, officials, ministers, ministries and other high-
profile state bodies.

In terms of media, 19 accounts have been identified that appear to belong to official Taliban
outlets or platforms that are closely linked to the group. Some of these accounts were inherited
by the Taliban following their return to Kabul.

BBC Monitoring also used the behaviour of these cross-promoted or flagged accounts as an
extra indication of their authenticity (or lack of).

For supporters, propagandists or so-called influencers, BBC Monitoring selected 102 accounts
based on a combination of factors. These include the regular posting of pro-Taliban hashtags
or messaging, the profile bio, number of followers, and whether they were cross-promoted by
known Taliban accounts or other identified Taliban supporters.

It is possible that some of these selected accounts belong to unannounced Taliban members.

Data for this insight was analysed via the social media analytics tool Brandwatch.

TALIBAN 'OFFICIAL' ACCOUNTS

Taliban official Twitter accounts have been increasingly active since the takeover, with a 55%
increase in posting between August 2021 and July 2022.

These 95 accounts have tweeted 96,420 posts over the past year, with an average of
1,014 messages per account.

There was a noticeable spike in their activity in June 2022 following a deadly earthquake that
hit the south-eastern Paktika province.

Typical tweets included calls for the international community to financially assist Afghanistan
and release confiscated assets sitting in Western countries.

Other peaks of activity were spotted in March 2022 and August 2021. The first period
correlates with a ceremony to raise the "largest" Taliban flag in Kabul, whilst the second
coincides with the month in which the group swept to power.

Unsurprisingly, Pashto is the most used language (52%) in messaging by Taliban officials and
bodies. This is followed by Arabic and then closely by Dari. English is in fourth place.

Spokesmen like Shaheen and Mohammad Naeem regularly tweet in Arabic.

Some of the group's officials, such as Shaheen and Jalal, also regularly tweet in English.

According Brandwatch, the top three active Taliban officials are Jalal, who is a prominent
member of the Taliban's cultural commission; General Mobeen Khan, a spokesman for their
Kabul Police HQ; and "al-Hanafi Wardak". Wardak's profile image resembles spokesman
Mohammad Naeem and the account focuses on tweeting Taliban foreign affairs activities,
which suggests that "Hanafi Wardak" is possibly a back-up account for Naeem's main one.

These three are followed by the prominent Taliban spokespeople Zabihullah Mujahid
and Naeem (on his self-declared account). Between them, all five published around 22,000
tweets in the past year, with Jalal being the author of a third of them.

However, spokespeople Shaheen and Zabihullah Mujahid are the two most followed officials,
with more than 600,000 followers for each of their accounts.

Meanwhile Naeem has more than 400,000 followers and is a vocal defender of the Taliban on
Twitter, particularly on women's issues.

Overall, the 95 Taliban official accounts analysed over the last year attracted just over a million
retweets and two million comments, with an average of 13 reposts and 20 comments per
message.

Those leaving comments in response to Taliban official accounts were mostly based in
Afghanistan and Pakistan, according the analytical tool Brandwatch.

But it appears that Taliban official accounts were also reaching users who were geolocated by
Brandwatch in Western countries like the UK and US as well as India and the UAE.

Comments from such users were not necessarily supportive.

KEY NARRATIVES
In their overall Twitter output, the Taliban have focused on themes including the status of
women, good governance, reconstruction, stability, security, international diplomacy and calls
to lift international financial sanctions.

On women, Shaheen set the tone early on in August 2021 when he emphatically declared: "Bac
k to School in a New Afghanistan", posting a video of girls, who appear to be under 12, arriving
at a school in their uniforms.

Despite this initial celebratory tone, the Taliban have been defensive and vague about the
education of older girls and women. Secondary schools for girls, for example, remain closed.

This has led the Taliban to come under immense international pressure to allow all girls and
women full access to education. The group has also been criticised for restrictions imposed on
women's dress and freedoms.

 In response, Shaheen claimed his group is "committed" to full education equality according to
"Islamic principles" - a claim regularly repeated by Taliban officials.

TWITTER

 Shaheen’s tweet about ‘back to school’ was his most retweeted post over past year

However, continued international criticism has prompted officials like Naeem and Jalal to resort
to attacking alleged violations of the rights of women in the West or to highlight the situation of
Afghan women under the previous US-backed administration. Taliban officials have also
highlighted pro-Taliban women's demonstrations, often in response to anti-Taliban marches.

Taliban accounts have also sought to point to the "popularity" and "good governance" of their le
aders, boasting, for example, that their foreign minister Amir Khan Mottaqi travels to his office
without much security and that citizens, including women in some publicised instances, have
easy access to their officials.

Another key narrative in the Taliban's Twitter messaging has been reconstruction of the country
.

The group has been eager to show off the rebuilding of facilities and roads. This is also
illustrated by a very active account attributed to the Kabul municipality, which frequently
showcases road resurfacing works. In fact, the hashtag "Kabul Municipality" topped the list for
the most used hashtag by Taliban Twitter accounts.

And on the subject of reconciliation, early on, Taliban Twitter accounts repeated
announcements of an amnesty for all their military and political opponents.

TWITTER

 Kabul municipality’s account frequently showcases road resurfacing works

Security has been another major theme. Several accounts, including the popular one run by
the Ministry of Interior Affairs, have been pushing a message of stability and calm, highlighting
the role of the Taliban's police and other special security forces. These forces regularly announ
ce security operations targeting petty thieves and criminals as well as rival jihadist group IS.

Another important theme has been demands for international recognition. The Taliban
frequently flaunt their government-like activities on Twitter to raise their profile as responsible
and trustworthy rulers. They have also repeatedly demanded a seat at the United Nations.

In the past year, the Taliban publicised on Twitter the diplomatic activities of their leaders,
particularly those of the foreign minister. Tweets often show off Taliban officials meeting
foreign counterparts and delegations at home and aboard.

See also: Analysis: Taliban turn to diplomacy in search of recognition

In tandem, the Taliban have actively used Twitter posts and hashtags to call for an end to
international economic sanctions that stop the group from accessing Afghan assets in Western
banks.

Cricket has also made regular appearances in officials' tweets. They are likely using the sport,
which is very popular in Afghanistan, as soft power tool to boost the image of the Taliban
and appeal to cricket fans. This effort is not surprising given that the now-inherited account of
the Afghanistan Cricket Board is one of the most followed Taliban-controlled accounts.

HASHTAGS AND TWITTER CAMPAIGNS
Taliban officials have been using hashtags to promote their rhetoric and counter online critics.

Six out of the top 10 hashtags shared by officials were in English, in a likely bid for greater
visibility and reach and to attract the attention of foreign media.

In response to an anti-Taliban Twitter campaign with the hashtag #BanTaliban in July 2022,
Taliban officials widely circulated the #AfghansSupportTaliban hashtag.

It became one of the hashtags most shared by official Taliban accounts over the past year,
with more than 1,247 retweets and comments by these official accounts.

The #AfghansSupportTaliban campaign attracted more than 212,000 retweets and
comments in total, outnumbering the rival hashtag #BanTaliban. The pro-Taliban hashtag
also trended in other countries.

See also: Briefing: Afghan Taliban supporters launch campaign on Twitter

Some of the most used hashtags by Taliban officials indicate efforts to ameliorate the
group's public image and solidify statehood.

In another campaign, the #scholars_conference hashtag was retweeted around 633 times to
promote a high-profile meeting of religious scholars and provincial governors on 30 June 2022.
Taliban official accounts used the hashtag to promote the three-day "grand" gathering in the
face of criticism of its lack of relevance and inclusivity. Taliban accounts on Twitter widely
disseminated the speech delivered at the conference by their supreme leader Mullah Hibatullah
Akundzada.

TALIBAN-LINKED MEDIA OUTLETS

Taliban-affiliated media accounts have tweeted over 54,370 posts over the past year, with an
average of 2,861 messages per account. Their activity peaked in August 2021 during the
group's takeover of Kabul.

In terms of official Taliban mouthpieces, many were longstanding and few others were co-
opted by the group in the months after their takeover.

The long-established outlets include al-Emarah, which has Arabic and English accounts.
These usually focus on disseminating official statements, news and policies. They sometimes is
sue denials and flag "fake" news or Twitter accounts.

Other enduring media with Twitter accounts are Badr-ul-huda Media, Hijra1428, Shariat radio
and Al Somood magazine.

Badr-ul-huda behaves like a news service, offering "breaking news" tweets in Pashto, Dari and
English, whilst Hijra1428 focuses on releasing the high-quality propaganda of the Taliban's
security forces.

The Taliban also inherited the Twitter accounts of Afghanistan's Bakhtar news agency as well
as those of the state broadcaster Radio Television Afghanistan (@rtaPasgto, @rtadari,
@rtaworld).

Under the management of a new Taliban director, Bakhtar has increased the number
of languages for online content.

In addition to long-established content in Pashto, Dari, and English, it also started publishing in
Arabic, Russian and Uzbek on its website and social media.The agency has separate handles
for its Arabic (@Bakhtarna_ar) and Russian language content (Bakhtarna_RU).

On 12 May, the news agency announced that it intended to start publishing in Urdu "in the near
future".

In addition to the official Taliban media outlets on Twitter, a few others are closely associated
with the group. These include Nuun Asia, Azam News and Jalal Publishing Foundation.

In    the     past     year,   the     19    Taliban-linked media     accounts
generated around 400,000 retweets and more than 500,000 comments, with an average
of seven retweets and nine comments per message.

Comments on posts by Taliban-linked media accounts mainly came from users based in
Afghanistan and Pakistan, with most active commentators dedicating their timeline to
retweeting posts by these media outlets as well as the group’s officials. Some of the
commentators also feature Taliban officials in their profile pictures.

TALIBAN 'INFLUENCERS'
This category refers to prominent Taliban "supporters" using Twitter to amplify the group's
messaging and talking points.

BBC Monitoring has identified 102 users who consistently tweet in support of the Taliban. This
list is not exhaustive and may include individuals who are Taliban officials or members but
have not declared so via their accounts.

In the past year, these so-called influencers have tweeted 225,250 posts.

The peaks of their activity correlate with those of the "official" accounts, with bursts of postings
in August 2021, March 2022, and June 2022.

According to Brandwatch, the top hashtags pushed by the "Taliban influencers" over the last
year were #AfghansSupportTaliban (1,837 tweets) and #scholars_conference (1,942 tweets).

Both were already being used by Taliban official accounts, suggesting supporters play a key
role in boosting the Taliban's messaging.

The top active influencer account (@HajiSab02754737) posted over 16,000 tweets in the
Taliban's first year in power.

Typical of pro-Taliban accounts in Pashto, this account (@HajiSab02754737) has been
pushing the narrative of the group on various issues, often posting videos of Taliban
spokesman Mujahid from his press conferences.

Meanwhile, accounts such as that of @paykhar have been heavily tweeting in English to
counter international criticism. His most retweeted post sought to divert attention from the
Taliban's policy on girls' education, to India's alleged treatment of hijab-wearing Muslim
students.

It is clear that Twitter remains a major platform for the group given the number of Taliban
spokespeople, ministries, bodies, and supporters on it.

The "official" and support accounts have yet to suffer major clampdowns on Twitter, partly, it
seems, because they steer clear of violating Twitter policies on posting and content sharing.

As a back-up, and like other groups, the Taliban maintain a presence on alternative networks
like the messaging app Telegram and on websites.

But no other platform gives the Taliban the visibility and reach that Twitter currently provides.

SOURCE: BBC MONITORING 12 AUG 22

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