NATO and Taliban Go Toe-to-Toe in Twitter Messaging Battle
- Posted on November 18, 2011 at 5:28pm by
Buck Sexton
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The war in Afghanistan has been dragging on for over ten years, but one battle of perceptions is occurring in an unexpected forum: Twitter.
The International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), comprised of the NATO Coalition and Afghan allies, has an official Twitter account in its press office, which it uses to get information out to the Afghan people and general news for the Coalition.
The Taliban, however, allegedly has an English-capabale spokesperson who not only spreads falsehoods about the ISAF mission, but directly engages in a war-of-words with the NATO twitter representative.
This has led to direct messaging exchanges about civilian casualties, mercenaries– and even some schoolyard taunts.
Below, Abdulaqar Balkhi, allegedly a representative of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, talks about ISAF as invaders:
But ISAF is able to quickly counter that the Taliban, in fact, is responsible for atrocities, not the NATO Coalition:
Balkhi writes that back that officials have admitted to the atrocities, and calls the ISAF writer a “dumb dumb”:
ISAF responds that Balkhi is a joke:
You get the idea.
An interesting twist to the information operations face-off is that its mostly done for the benefit of a small, elite Afghan audience, assorted Westerners in country, and the global English-speaking audience on Twitter.
Less than 20% of Afghans can read in any language (let alone English), and about 15% have regular access to electricity.
So far in the battle for Twitter supremacy in the Afghan theater, ISAF has 15889 followers, and the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan is stuck under 3,000.
Here is a video overview of the NATO-Taliban Twitter battle, courtesy of CNN:
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Comments (46)
txn4justice
Posted on November 19, 2011 at 11:28amif you want to give them all an spastic fit; call mohammad a 3 or 4 letter word. that’ll get the party started again. a bunch of wimps..
Report Post »txn4justice
Posted on November 19, 2011 at 11:31amI could get it started for you, but the Blaze might have to censor it.
Report Post »cyclops
Posted on November 19, 2011 at 10:45amSo what are they saying? My ding dong is bigger than yours?…….LMAO!!!!!
Report Post »qzak491
Posted on November 19, 2011 at 1:09amTHINK ABOUT THIS
Less than 20% of Afghans can read in any language (let alone English), and about 15% have regular access to electricity.
How sad is that. These people probably have no idea why we are there. They are fighting because someone told them we were there to kill them, so they kill us in what they think is self defense. They remind me of the OWS idiots, most of them have no idea what is really going on. They don’t know who is really in charge or even what the people in charge really want, they are being used.
The Talaban use the people to help them kill us, the people in charge of OWS are using the protesters to help them get what they want. Evil is always the same where ever it is.
Report Post »FugMan
Posted on November 19, 2011 at 12:23amSweet. Now I can personally bash the Taliban on Twitter! Thanks for this post.
Report Post »tangonine
Posted on November 18, 2011 at 10:26pmI never fail to be amazed by the number of people who write for a living, yet are unable to use “comprised” properly in a sentence. Just saying.
Report Post »ned1235
Posted on November 18, 2011 at 10:20pmwhy do we continue to call them muslims, when they are clearly extremists are we so narrow minded that we group them all togther. News flash! Not every muslim is an extremist when we see a christian, for example, blow up a abortion center (and it has happened) we no longer call him by the faith that he has twisted but consider him a extremist. Don’t we owe the same curtesy to muslims most would never carry out a deed like these terrorists so stop insulting a religion that most of you have never bothered to learn anything about (and by the way I am a christian).
Report Post »loriann12
Posted on November 19, 2011 at 8:20amNews flash! I don’t see very many “moderate” muslims coming out and condemning the extremists. I’ve heard of ONE publicly denouncing them, unless you count a handful who left the “religion/government” Islam is a form of theocracy, where it becomes a sin to go against them.
Report Post »georgiavietvet
Posted on November 19, 2011 at 4:56pmNED1235…………………… there is one huge problem with your post. we americans never see the so called “good muslims” speaking out against the extremest muslims. because there isn’t anyone of the muslim faith trying to stop the radical muslims, we have no evidence that there are “good muslims”. atrocities have started happening in this country perpetrated by so called “good muslims”. such as several honor killings, attacks by muslims on people they percieve to talking bad about islam, the refusal of muslims to assimmalate into american society. these are just a few examples of why all muslims are lumped into one pile. it is very obvious to us that the muslim goal is to infiltrate this country to such a degree that they can force the imposition of sharia law. you can deny it all day long, but it is inescapable fact. what you don’t seem to grasp is that we will not let that happen. you had best be glad that i am not in charge, because if i were, all muslims who are not citizens would be shipped back to their country of origin, and those that are citizens would be monitored vey closely. so you can take your muslim apologist self and go take a flying leap off a very high cliff…………………….
Report Post »Darkstar58
Posted on November 20, 2011 at 2:19amWhen “extremists” outnumber “moderates” by double digits, its the “moderates” who are technically the extremists of the group.
Unfortunately, in islam hatred and repression are integral aspects of the faith. The koran also draws much of its interest from its knack to blame everything on others. It even goes as far as insisting you be completely submissive to the book itself though, and that you are to ultimately treat each and every copy of the koran as if it is more important then ay human walking the planet.
Such realities lead to things like 53% of muslims believing the US is responsible for poverty in the Arab world, as opposed to just 36% feeling its from a lack of education and 12% feeling fundamentalism is to blame.
So yeah, like I said, sadly “extremism” is just the norm in islam, where “moderates” are probably made up almost exclusively by the 30 or so percent who wish they didn’t have to call themselves muslims but do because they would have their head cut off if they admitted the truth…
Report Post »oldsailor7294
Posted on November 18, 2011 at 9:47pmso it appears that rose- now has a twitter acount too.
Report Post »blackstone22
Posted on November 18, 2011 at 9:16pmThe tweeting Taliban, that seems so incongruous and definitely freaky.
Report Post »OccupyMyFoot
Posted on November 19, 2011 at 8:22pmThey will be blowing themselves using text characters… Watch out !!!
Report Post »kchercmech
Posted on November 18, 2011 at 8:11pmIf this is what the war on terror has been boiled down to, I can add something along the same lines. I can save hundreds of billions of dollars: instead of issuing bullets and weapons, we should issue our troops and my fellow Marines straws and pads of paper to make spit balls. Instead of hand grenades and hand to hand fighting we can put “kick me”signs on the backs of terrorists.
Why the he’ll are we paying for tweeter accounts so we can insult the Taliban? More wasted tax dollars. We need to focus our tax dollars on munitions, not insults. Engage them! Unload show clear. Reload and engage again, rinse and repeat if necessary.
Report Post »loriann12
Posted on November 18, 2011 at 9:07pmWith all the engagement rules Obama put out, I thought they were already down to straws and spit balls….can’t walk sentry with a loaded weapon, can’t fire unless you witness a gun in his hand and firing, and as soon as he puts the gun down you have to stop….that’s what I heard.
Report Post »ares338
Posted on November 18, 2011 at 7:27pmDumb..dumb???
Report Post »JL320
Posted on November 18, 2011 at 7:46pmThose Taliban are stupid heads!
Report Post »redgypsy
Posted on November 18, 2011 at 6:56pmSo now the battlefield is with the tweets (or maybe twits?) I wonder why the Taliban tweets that are shown sound so…American in their use of phrases? (I’m not talking about the level of the conversation, just the usage of things like “dumb dumb”) Taliban Rose, anyone? Think of any US schoolyard…
Report Post »shirtsbyeric
Posted on November 18, 2011 at 7:00pmTaliban Rose…Brilliant!
Report Post »RossPoldark
Posted on November 18, 2011 at 7:17pmBecause a lot of them are educated in America and the UK only to use it against us, pea brain. This is typical of Islam to use the Quran’s condoning of lying! Look up Taquiyya. They can even deny their own faith or befriend infidels like you Redgypsy, if it furthers the cause of total world domination for Islam. I bet you do not even know one iota about the Quran. I studied the Quran under a Muslim. I am glad I saw it for the evil religion that it is! http://www.jihadwatch.com
Report Post »redgypsy
Posted on November 18, 2011 at 7:29pmRoss, let me assure you I have read the Koran and am well acquainted with taquiyya. There was a great deal of tongue-in-cheek in my post–I haven’t figured out an emoticon for that. Sorry it wasn’t clear.
Report Post »4truth2all
Posted on November 18, 2011 at 8:27pmTo much sand in the machinery, and poppies in the pipe
Report Post »kryptonite
Posted on November 18, 2011 at 10:20pm@RossPoldark
Report Post »Because a lot of them are educated in America and the UK only to use it against us…
———–
Hey, that’s no secret. They even got one living in the WH — and they didn’t have to bother to educate him. He was just passed through Ivy League Schools without ever having to think. Didn’t even have to learn how many states make up our Union (I kid you not). Yeah, I guess we ARE “dumb, dumb.”
qzak491
Posted on November 19, 2011 at 12:43amThere are more than one in the White House
Infiltration of the federal government by members of the radical Muslim Brotherhood is worse than some have warned recently, says a former FBI special agent in Washington.
The agent confirmed that at least three operatives of the Egypt-based Brotherhood – whose credo is “Jihad is our way and death in the cause of Allah is our dream” – have penetrated the Obama administration.
Read more: Underpublicized threat deep in White House http://www.wnd.com/?pageId=337321#ixzz1e8fKsKAW
Report Post »qzak491
Posted on November 19, 2011 at 12:52amI don’t think my first reply made it so here goes again
There’s more than one in the White House.
Infiltration of the federal government by members of the radical Muslim Brotherhood is worse than some have warned recently, says a former FBI special agent in Washington.
The agent confirmed that at least three operatives of the Egypt-based Brotherhood – whose credo is “Jihad is our way and death in the cause of Allah is our dream” – have penetrated the Obama administration.
Read more: Underpublicized threat deep in White House http://www.wnd.com/?pageId=337321#ixzz1e8fKsKAW
Report Post »Silat
Posted on November 18, 2011 at 6:50pmAll of the Taliban are gay! It is true!
Report Post »FireRose
Posted on November 18, 2011 at 6:29pmThis might be the funniest thing I have ever read.
Report Post »ltb
Posted on November 18, 2011 at 6:29pm“I don’t want to talk to you no more, you empty headed animal food trough wiper. I fart in your general direction. Your mother was a hamster and your father smelt of elderberries.” French Soldier, “Monty Python and the Hoy Grail.”
Report Post »lukerw
Posted on November 18, 2011 at 6:25pmWe have the same battle going on here between… GBTV… and the Liberal Media!
Report Post »Robert-CA
Posted on November 18, 2011 at 6:00pmTo hell with their tweets & their country , bring the boys back home & let them tweet from here .
Report Post »someonewhocares
Posted on November 18, 2011 at 6:12pmEveryone just needs to agree.
http://politicalbowl.com – Political Videos
Report Post »selenesteets
Posted on November 18, 2011 at 5:58pmto ponder: void (“evil”) is mindless. It lacks the ability to store information save what we provide for it to do so. Binary, all digital media, is a form of information storage that does not require life, which is God. I see digital media as a sign of the approaching Omega Point of Time…..complex information that can be stored outside the context of the ultimate storage of information (“soul”). I say: give as little as possible to void, it is in search of information, because it contains none. Maybe I’m just an Analog nerd, but I like knowing that only a Truly sentient being can interpret the information that I leave in my footprints.
Report Post »TheBloodOfTyrants
Posted on November 18, 2011 at 5:44pmDumb dumb. How silly! LOL! Reminds me of Four Lions. REEEEEALLY good movie, BTW.
Report Post »Eliasim
Posted on November 18, 2011 at 5:43pmJust another reason to leave. Let their people fight for freedom, and I don‘t personally care about Afghanistan’s minerals.
Report Post »DrFrost
Posted on November 18, 2011 at 5:53pmIf we leave now it will be a hotbed for hosting terrorists again in…. 2 days? If we stay…. well, we all know the costs if we stay and there is no hope of eventual victory. If I knew that in 40 years we could turn it into a thriving democratic society…. I’d still have to weigh that against the lives of our soldiers.
I’d bring them home… but I’m not going to say that I know that to be the right choice because, truth be told, I’m not sure. You tell me which road is better for us in the long run and I’ll tell you what the right choice is.
Report Post »riseandshine
Posted on November 18, 2011 at 6:07pmOut now
Report Post »lukerw
Posted on November 18, 2011 at 6:59pmIt is not the Minerals… the Economy is based upon Opium and run by animalistic Tribesmen. The British (Parlement) & the Russians (Communism), both, thought that they could Civilize these people… and they failed. So, we with a more Advanced Form, Representative Democracy, of governing… cannot possibly do as well! This was always a Drug War… and we should not be in it!
Report Post »barber2
Posted on November 18, 2011 at 5:41pmThese comments remind me of some of the Far Lefties who Troll the Blaze ! Same hate. Same arrogance. Same obvious media research. Same taunting…..
Report Post »eternal_vigilance
Posted on November 18, 2011 at 5:40pmPuts a whole new spin on “arguing with idiots!”
Report Post »Brooke Lorren
Posted on November 18, 2011 at 6:48pmHaha love that dumb dumb comment. The Taliban certainly take the moral high road. /sarcasm.
Report Post »LOLReally
Posted on November 18, 2011 at 5:39pmPakistan now throws you in jail for texting ‘Jesus Christ’.
http://news.yahoo.com/pakistan-bans-obscene-words-cell-phone-texts-122933488.html
Report Post »dmerwin
Posted on November 18, 2011 at 5:39pmLet me get this right. We are going “nanny nanny boo boo” “I know you are but what am I?’ With the taliban?
Report Post »TexasHunter
Posted on November 18, 2011 at 5:35pmGPS this signal and then send in a drone. No more tweets. Pretty sure the Gov’t has the technology. Aint that right big brother?
Report Post »NewLife56
Posted on November 18, 2011 at 5:33pmScrew you Taliban, you COWARDS
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