A number of the country’s citizens say the Taliban have created accounts on social media using girls’ names and photos, and use these accounts to promote the group and defend its conduct. According to them, these accounts tend to become more active whenever reports are published about oppression, rape, killing, corruption, and other Taliban actions, and their operators try to justify these matters or target critics of the Taliban. These citizens also say that, alongside creating fake accounts, Taliban intelligence and security bodies financially support hundreds of YouTube channels and, in some cases, direct the operators of these channels to reflect the views the Taliban wants promoted. Meanwhile, a former deputy minister of information and culture says the use of pseudonyms and fake accounts is part of the Taliban’s effort to continue what he calls “lying and deceiving the people.” According to him, this method is used to deny facts, censor information, and manipulate public opinion.
Nematullah (pseudonym), a media activist, says that in cases of criticism of the Taliban, he has repeatedly come across accounts and pages that defend the group, but their language and manner of expression do not appear natural, showing signs of fabricated or dictated text.
This media activist says: “I have personally seen many cases where, in response to a critical topic about the Taliban, accounts and pages defending the group use language and expression that is not natural or ordinary. From their tone and style of writing, it can be understood that much of this content is fabricated or dictated.”
According to Nematullah, a significant portion of these accounts operate under female names and identities. He adds that some of these accounts defend the Taliban using girls’ names and photos, while the images published on their pages, in his words, do not align with the restrictions and standards the Taliban itself accepts for women.
This media activist says many of these names are not real and the activity of these accounts is mostly short-lived. According to him, these accounts usually become active when a Taliban-related topic becomes controversial or subject to debate, and once the debate subsides, their activity also stops. He adds: “When you check their pages, you usually do not see any clear or continuous activity, except when they have shared something about what they themselves call Taliban achievements.”
Parwiz (pseudonym), a young man, says the Taliban have created accounts on social media using girls’ names and images, through which claims and propaganda in support of the group are published.
According to him, these accounts tend to become more active when reports are published about oppression, rape, killing, corruption, or other Taliban actions. He says the operators of these accounts try, in such cases, to justify the Taliban’s conduct or defend the group.
This young man says: “When I personally check social media, including X, Facebook, Instagram and TikTok, I come across accounts created with girls’ names and profiles that publish fabricated propaganda and claims related to security and economic growth. These accounts tend to become more active when an important issue, such as oppression, rape, killing or an economic project, comes up. They appear under posts published by independent media, independent journalists and media outlets outside Afghanistan, and defend the Taliban or justify the group’s conduct.”
According to this young man, accounts have even been created on social media using the names of some well-known female YouTubers in Afghanistan, and these accounts are used to publish videos and promotional content related to Taliban institutions.
Parwiz adds: “This is done to throw dust in people’s eyes. People today are not like they were during the Taliban’s first period of rule. Public awareness has increased, and people can better recognize the group’s false propaganda and fabricated conduct.”
Sharara (pseudonym), another young person, says that alongside creating fake accounts with girls’ names and identities, Taliban intelligence and security institutions are also active in online propaganda. According to her, these institutions financially support hundreds of YouTube channels and, in some cases, give clear direction to the operators of these channels to reflect the content and viewpoints the Taliban wants.
This young woman says: “It is true that the Taliban have created hundreds of accounts with female names and profiles and try, through them, to show a different image of themselves. I know that this group, despite its opposition to media, journalists and art, has recently come to realize the importance and influence of media. Afghan female journalists are not even allowed to attend Taliban gatherings, while, in contrast, journalists from Western media are welcomed and allowed to cover and attend.”
Narges (pseudonym), a journalist, says several fake accounts using women’s names and identities are active on social media, which, according to her, are managed by the Taliban and used as a propaganda tool for the group.
This journalist says: “These accounts can serve as a tool to create an unrealistic image of the level of social support for the Taliban. Such activities may lead some audiences to believe that women and girls broadly support Taliban policies and conduct, while these accounts do not necessarily reflect the actual views of society.”
Narges adds: “We know how extensive the restrictions, suppression of women and limitation of social activities by the Taliban are. Using such accounts to attack critics, suppress Taliban opponents in the online space and limit free discussion can spread an atmosphere of fear among users. In today’s information space, controlling the narrative and shaping public opinion on social media has become one of the important tools of political movements.”
Meanwhile, Abdul Manan Shiwa Sharq, a deputy minister of information and culture in the previous government, says the use of pseudonyms and fake accounts is part of the Taliban’s effort to continue what he considers “lying and deceiving the people.” According to him, this approach is used to deny facts, censor information, and manipulate public opinion.
Mr. Sharq adds: “The Taliban’s tricks and deception toward the people of Afghanistan are nothing new. This group uses all kinds of methods and tricks to advance its goals. This conduct amounts to manipulating public opinion. The people of Afghanistan have repeatedly shown that they are dissatisfied with the Taliban’s conduct and are, from time to time, waiting for the collapse of this authoritarian regime. What the Taliban use as a mask to hide the realities of society is nothing but fabrication and lies, and it does not align with the current reality in Afghanistan.”
This comes as, following the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan in August 2021, the nature of the group’s communication strategy has changed fundamentally. The Taliban, who previously relied on underground media and religious sermons, now employ a digital propaganda apparatus that strategically makes use of social media platforms, particularly X.
Previously, the Hasht-e Subh Daily published a report based on a study that examined 78 accounts out of an initial 120 accounts suspected of being bots linked to the Taliban’s online influence strategy. This study, through the analysis of linguistic patterns, identity inconsistencies, behavioral data, and the timing of activities, revealed the existence of a coordinated campaign to control the narrative space, particularly in countering negative publicity against the Taliban.
You can read the Persian version of this report here:
نیروهای سایبری طالبان؛ چرا با نامهای دخترانه فعالیت میکنند؟
