Over the past two years, the Taliban have recruited hundreds of individuals to promote and disseminate their interpretation of religion and politics on social media. According to the Hasht-e Subh Daily’s findings, this group refers to their virtual propagandists as “Qalamwal Mobariz Emirati,” which translates to Warrior Scribes of the Emirate. These Taliban propagandists earn their livelihood by conducting promotional activities on social media, and the Taliban provides them with specialized training. The majority of these users operate under female aliases with names such as “Panjshiri,” “Badakhshani,” “Ghaznawi,” “Mujahid,” and “Afghani.” The Directorate of Information and Culture in various provinces is responsible for propagating the official Taliban agenda through their “Warrior Scribes of the Emirate.” The precise number of Taliban social media propagandists remains unclear, but sources indicate that over 700 individuals are actively engaged in the “Warrior Scribes of the Emirate” group, with some recently completing a training program in Kabul. Interestingly, during the Republic era, those who advocated in support of government officials and were remunerated by the former National Directorate of Security Council were known as “Facebook Chalawonki,” signifying Facebook propagandists.
Over the last two years, the Taliban have enlisted numerous social media users to garner attention and showcase their purported popular backing. Beyond ideological sympathizers of the Taliban, this entity has further capitalized on the joblessness and coercion of young individuals, recruiting them as “Facebook Chalawonki” in exchange for financial compensation. Their responsibilities involve composing content in favor of this faction on social platforms and extolling their so-called “accomplishments.”
Hasht-e Subh Daily’s findings reveal that the Taliban have recruited hundreds of individuals to promote and showcase widespread support for their agenda. The precise count of these individuals remains uncertain, but reliable sources confirm that the Taliban refer to them as “Qalamwal Mobariz Emirati” and routinely assign tasks and craft hashtags for their campaigns. Credible sources report that a multitude of fictitious social media accounts on platforms like Facebook and X (formerly Twitter) operate in the interests of the Taliban. According to these sources, the majority of these fabricated profiles employ feminine names and aliases such as “Panjshiri” and “Badakhshani.”
A dependable but undisclosed source shared with the Hasht-e Subh Daily that the Taliban, in a bid to harness the potential of these individuals, recently summoned approximately 700 people to Kabul in groups of a hundred and provided them with a two-day training program.
Information obtained by the Hasht-e Subh Daily shows that these individuals, depending on their high-follower account numbers and activity levels, receive monthly incomes ranging from 5,000 to 20,000 Afghanis. During special occasions and significant events, they collectively conduct extensive social media promotion utilizing hashtags provided by the Taliban spokesperson’s office. In regular circumstances, the “Qalamwal Mobariz Emirati” persist in their duties, which include composing articles, offering commentary, and disseminating news and accomplishments of the group.
Sources reveal that the counterfeit social media accounts endorsing the Taliban source their promotional and ideological content from the group’s spokespersons’ WhatsApp groups. It is reported that their procedure involves the synchronization of advertising campaigns by Taliban spokespersons and the leaders of the Directorate of Information and Culture in various provinces. These campaigns are subsequently shared with the “Qalamwal Mobariz Emirati” via WhatsApp groups. Sources stress that the provincial Directorate of Information and Culture leaders engage in multifaceted cooperation with this group.
An informed source reveals, “The provincial leaders of the Directorate of Information and Culture engage in inter-provincial collaboration to promote the activities, effectively considering them as achievements of this group. Within each province, an additional WhatsApp group has been formed, wherein the provincial director of Information and Culture, along with 20 members from the provincial team, actively participate. Their role involves the dissemination of information and directives received from the central WhatsApp group onto various social media platforms.”
Under the leadership of the heads of the Directorate of Information and Culture in each province, these individuals are organized into 20-member groups. They actively participate in activities on Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), and YouTube, receiving direct support from the Taliban’s spokesperson’s office.
At present, this report has identified numerous counterfeit Facebook and X (formerly Twitter) accounts associated with the Taliban. These accounts often employ female names and pseudonyms such as “Panjshiri,” “Badakhshani,” “Ghaznawi,” and “Afghani.” However, to avoid further promotion in their favor, the names of these accounts and pages are withheld. Notably, the majority of these users adopt female personas, despite the Taliban’s two-year exclusion of women and girls from all public activities.
To legitimize their rule and bolster their legitimacy, the Taliban have turned to social media tools and harnessed them to their advantage. The previous government had also enlisted numerous social media users under the guise of “Facebook Chalawonki.” This term came into use after Ashraf Ghani assumed the presidency following the contentious 2014 elections, with the mediation of the then-US Secretary of State. During that period, it referred to those individuals who, through multiple fake accounts on social media platforms, voiced support for President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani’s team. These individuals were tasked with promoting President Ghani’s achievements and, when needed, criticizing government critics, at times using offensive language.
Information from that period suggested that Mohammad Haneef Atmar, the National Security Advisor to President Ghani’s government, had recruited groups and paid them a monthly salary to advance the government’s agenda. With the collapse of the Republic regime, the “Facebook Chalawonkis” also fell into obscurity and now have a diminished presence on social media platforms.
Currently, with their control over Afghanistan, from which they have derived the most benefits from media propaganda over the past two decades of war, the Taliban have established fake pages. The group has activated Qalamwal Mobariz Emirati teams in all 34 provinces, managed in a hierarchical structure, with the apex of this hierarchy in Kabul.
With internet access and expanded communication, the Taliban have been able to use the dissemination of false news and misinformation to their advantage. The role of social media in the Taliban’s conflicts with the security forces of the previous government and the demoralization of these forces is still a widely discussed topic. Therefore, this group strives to gain a foothold for its regime through this means.
While the Taliban extensively exploit social media with fake user accounts, Facebook has occasionally imposed restrictions on this group, including blocking Facebook accounts of the National Radio and Television of Afghanistan, and Bakhtar News Agency, which are now under the control of the Taliban following the fall of the Republic regime. From time to time, other user accounts that use words like “Emirate” and “Taliban” also face restrictions or warnings from the platform.
However, X (former Twitter) has not taken this matter seriously. Consequently, the Taliban group benefits the most from this network. Although thousands of users on this platform had previously demanded restrictions on the Taliban by launching hashtag campaigns for this matter, Twitter has not taken any action in this regard yet.