London: Social media giant Facebook has said that it has banned the Taliban and all content supporting it from its platforms. This is because Facebook considers the group to be a terrorist organisation, according to a media report. Facebook said it has a dedicated team of Afghan experts to monitor and remove content linked to the insurgent group. For years, the Taliban has used social media to spread its messages.
“The Taliban is sanctioned as a terrorist organisation under US law. We have banned them from our services under our Dangerous Organisation policies. This means we remove accounts maintained by or on behalf of the Taliban and prohibit praise, support, and representation of them,” a Facebook spokesperson was quoted as saying by the ‘BBC’.
“We also have a dedicated team of Afghanistan experts, who are native Dari and Pashto speakers. They have knowledge of local context, helping to identify and alert us to emerging issues on the platform,” the spokesperson said.
The social media giant said it does not make decisions about the recognition of national governments. However, it follows the ‘authority of the international community’.
Also read: Taliban boost for Afghanistan cricket! This is what may happen to Rashid Khan, Mohammad Nabi
Facebook highlighted that the policy applies to all of its platforms, including its flagship social media network, ‘Instagram’ and ‘WhatsApp’.
However, there are reports that the Taliban is using ‘WhatsApp’ to communicate. Facebook told the BBC that it would take action if it found accounts on the app to be linked to the group.
The brutal war in Afghanistan reached a watershed moment Sunday when the Taliban insurgents captured Kabul. It forced embattled President Ashraf Ghani to flee the country. Fearing the brutal reign of the Talibans, many Afghans are now fleeing in the country, especially women.
The Talibans are known for the brutal and repressive way of ruling. It is expected, as they did in the past, that they will ban education of women also.