Taliban Establishes Cyber Groups For Propaganda And Targeting Dissent

Pictures published by local media outlets in Mashhad indicate that the new ban has been implemented at the entrance of Mashhad's Friday market.

On Saturday, Shahrara newspaper, owned by the Mashhad municipality, quoted Hasan Kilidari, a senior executive in the municipality, as stating that, according to the approval of the city's municipal social commission, “from now on, the activities of foreigners, under any title, in all of Mashhad's mobile markets are prohibited”.

Official statistics from the Iranian immigration authorities reveal that approximately half a million Afghans in Mashhad are registered with a residence permit.

This figure constitutes 95% of the total population of immigrants in Mashhad.

The decision to prohibit the activity of Afghans in mobile markets has sparked a reaction from cultural activists among Afghan immigrants in Iran.

Zainab Bayat, an Afghan poet and cultural activist residing in Mashhad, reacted to this move by questioning the move on her Instagram handle, “How can Afghans provide income for their families when all doors closed?”

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) reported that this programme will support nearly 100 journalists who were forced to go to Pakistan following the recent developments.

This programme aims to ensure the safety of journalists by lobbying with Pakistani policy and decision-makers. It also includes goals such as providing employment opportunities in the host country, offering legal assistance, and conducting workshops to empower journalists.

According to the RSF, there are currently about two hundred Afghan journalists living in Pakistan.

These reporters were forced to flee their country following the Taliban’s takeover of power in Afghanistan in August 2021.

Over the past two years, the Taliban has imposed severe restrictions on the freedom of expression and media activity and has imprisoned a large number of journalists.

RSF said that Afghan journalists living in Pakistan are facing an uncertain future with administrative problems, lack of resources and harassment by the Pakistani police.

In light of the Pakistani government's new plan to deport Afghan refugees and immigrants, these journalists, along with hundreds of thousands of other refugees, are at risk of being deported from Pakistan to Afghanistan under the control of the Taliban.

Khosty raised the issue in his speech at a conference.

He shared a part of his speech on X social media platform on Friday, in which he mentioned that the media consistently reports on the Taliban's ban on girls' education and characterises its government as non-inclusive and oppressive.

While the former Taliban spokesperson did not specify any particular media outlet, he stated that the “enemy” consistently reaches out to individuals.

Following the takeover of power in August 2021, the Taliban imposed severe restrictions on the media. Consequently, hundreds of print, audio, and video media outlets were forced to cease operations due to the group's pressure, resulting in thousands of journalists fleeing abroad.

This former Taliban official had previously threatened to kill Taliban opponents abroad.

Khosty tweeted that he would "kill" fugitives and those who preach against the Taliban.

When Khosty served as the spokesperson for Sirajuddin Haqqani in the Taliban's Ministry of Interior, he had been surrounded by accusations of sexually assaulting a medical university student and subsequently compelling her into marriage.

Elaha Delawarzai was detained after the accusation and spent six months in prison. After her release, she claimed that during her detention, the agents of the Taliban's intelligence interrogated and tortured her.

Khosty has repeatedly denied the allegations of sexual assault and torture of Delawarzai.

According to these sources, the Taliban members have told some foreign officials that girls can be educated in religious schools and the Taliban leader has no problem with this.

These sources said that Taliban officials have argued that there is no difference between a school and a religious seminary and that this group teaches professional and religious issues at these seminaries.

According to sources, the Taliban officials have asked the international community to financially support their religious seminaries.

This is while the representative of the Secretary-General of the United Nations in Afghanistan, said in a recent Security Council meeting that evidence shows that more girls are studying in religious schools.

After the Security Council’s meeting, Otunbayeva told Afghanistan International during a press conference quoting the Taliban's Minister of Education that ten million children are studying in Taliban schools. She added that about five million other children are deprived of education.

Otunbayeva said on Thursday after the UN Security Council meeting that the Taliban are trying to bring more children into the religious education system because they believe that religious seminaries are more native to Afghanistan.

In a statement on Saturday, the front stated that its forces were not harmed in this attack.

The Taliban has not yet commented in this regard.

Following the takeover of power by the Taliban in August 2021, the National Resistance Front of Afghanistan, led by Ahmad Massoud, has started an armed struggle against the group.