Taliban Websites And WhatsApp Groups Suddenly Go Offline

A Taliban fighter holding an M16 assault rifle stands outside the Interior Ministry in Kabul. Credit: Reuters File Photo  

Business Insider: Taliban websites and WhatsApp groups suddenly go dark 

* Five Taliban websites, which operate in Pashto, Dari, Arabic, Urdu, and English, went offline, the Washington Post reported. 

* The actors who shut down the sites are unknown. 

* Websites and social media have been integral communication tools for the Taliban and other extremist groups across South Asia and the Middle East. 

Several Taliban websites and WhatsApp groups suddenly went offline on Friday, the Washington Post reported. 

Five Taliban websites, which operate in Pashto, Dari, Arabic, Urdu, and English languages, went offline, though it remains unclear who took the sites down, the Post reported. 

According to public record, web infrastructure and security company Cloudflare manages the security of the five webpages. 

Cloudflare has previously made similar efforts to cut services to extremist organizations online, taking away its protection of Neo-Nazi website Daily Stormer in 2017 and online message forum 8chan in 2019.  

Read more ....  

WNU Editor: These sites should have been taken down months ago. Especially the WhatsApp Groups.  My prediction. The Taliban will find a more friendly hosting company and be back online before we know it.

More News On Taliban Websites And WhatsApp Groups Suddenly Going Offline  

Taliban websites mysteriously go dark -- FOX News 

Some Taliban websites go offline amid broader tech crackdown -- NBC T

aliban websites disappear from internet, reason unclear -- Reuters  

Taliban Websites That Delivered Its Official Messages to Afghans and the World Have Disappeared -- AP

Where Is Taliban Leader Haibatullah Akhundzada?

In this undated and unknown location photo, the new leader of Taliban fighters, Mullah Haibatullah Akhundzada poses for a portrait. The Afghan Taliban leader's whereabouts are unknown. © Afghan Islamic Press via AP  

Newsweek: Where Is Taliban Leader Haibatullah Akhundzada?  

As the Taliban prepares to formally take the reins of government in Afghanistan following their rapid advance and the fall of Kabul on Sunday, attention has turned to the organization's secretive leader, Haibatullah Akhundzada. 

While Abdul Ghani Baradar is widely expected to become president of the country, Akhundzada remains the Taliban's top leader and may be expected to play a major role. Mystery surrounds Akhundzada's whereabouts. 

In February there were reports that Akhundzada had been killed months earlier in an explosion in Pakistan but these reports were not confirmed and a senior Taliban leader, Ahmadullah Wasiq, said they were "false news and baseless rumors." 

Akhundzada became leader of the Taliban—called the emir—in 2016 following the death of the previous leader, Akhtar Mohammad Mansour, in a drone strike on May 21 that year. 

Read more ....  

WNU Editor: I suspect he is going to stay low until the US military has finally left Afghanistan.

Who's Who In The Taliban Leadership

BBC: Afghanistan: Who's who in the Taliban leadership 

 The Taliban took many by surprise as they swept across Afghanistan in just 10 days, quickly taking control of towns and cities. 

It is not yet known who will take charge of the new government. But what do we know about who is leading the Taliban today?  

Read more ....  

WNU Editor: There is still a lot of unknowns on who are the mid-level commanders.

Is This Taliban Leader The Next 'President' Of Afghanistan?

#Afghanistan's new de facto leader Mullah Baradar issues congratulatory message to his fellow Taliban on the declaration of the 'Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan'.pic.twitter.com/bymr5HWRsf

— Yannis Koutsomitis (@YanniKouts) August 15, 2021

In this file photo taken on July 18, 2021, the leader of the Taliban negotiating team Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar walks after the final declaration of the peace talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban in Qatar's capital Doha. (AFP)  

News 18: Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, One of the Co-founders of Taliban, Likely to be Afghanistan’s New President 

Taliban’s Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar is likely to be declared as the Afghanistan’s new President, sources told CNN-News18.

Baradar is one of the co-founders of the Taliban, who now heads the political office of the insurgent group and is part of the negotiating team that the group has in Doha. 

Baradar, reported to have been one of the trusted commanders of Taliban founder Mullah Omar, was captured in 2010 by security forces in the southern Pakistani city of Karachi and released in 2018. 

Read more ....  

Update #1: Taliban’s Abdul Ghani Baradar is undisputed victor of a 20-year war (The Guardian)  

Update #2: Who is Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, Taliban's political bureau head, likely to be next Afghanistan President (India TV)  

WNU Editor: As one of the co-founders of the Taliban, he is well placed to become President.

I personally think it will be Haibatullah Akhundzada who will really call the shots. He is the Supreme leader of the Taliban, and it is he who holds final authority over the group's political, religious, and military affairs. 

For more information on the Taliban leadership, here is a good link .... Factbox-Some key leaders of Afghanistan's Taliban (Reuters).

Taliban Say Security Of Airports And Embassies Will Be An Afghan Responsibility

Taliban says security of airports, embassies to be Afghan responsibility  

AFP News/Dunya News: Taliban says security of airports, embassies to be Afghan responsibility 

KABUL (AFP) - Foreign forces should hold no hope of keeping a military presence in Afghanistan after the US and NATO withdraw troops, the Taliban said Saturday, warning the security of embassies and airports would be the responsibility of Afghans. 

It comes as western diplomats and military officials scramble to work out how to provide security for any future civilian presence they keep in the country. 

Turkey has reportedly said it is prepared to keep troops in Afghanistan to protect Kabul airport, the main exit route for western diplomats and humanitarian workers.

Read more ....  

WNU Editor: If the Taliban are the ones protecting embassies and airports, this is what will happen .... Embassies in Kabul reportedly to be closed (MEHR News Agency).

Afghanistan: A Journey Through Taliban Country

 

France 24: Afghanistan: A journey through Taliban country 

President Joe Biden has pledged to withdraw US troops from Afghanistan by September 11. As a result, other Western nations are also downsizing and repatriating their forces. The stage is set for a return of the Taliban, 20 years after being ousted by a US-led military coalition in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks. In this report for Arte and FRANCE 24, correspondents Solène Chalvon Fioriti and Margaux Benn offer an in-depth look at Taliban-run schools and courts -- and a chilling foretaste of daily life under Islamic fundamentalists.  

Read more .... 

WNU Editor: This is a disturbing video.

Taliban Threaten Neighboring Countries To Reject US Military Bases

The Hill: Taliban warns neighboring countries to reject US military bases 

The Taliban on Wednesday warned countries neighboring Afghanistan against hosting U.S. forces as the Pentagon looks for new locations to set up operations after a withdrawal from the nation. 

The U.S. is anticipated to fully withdraw its forces later this year, but observers have speculated that the military will set up shop elsewhere in the Middle East or South Asia to maintain a presence in the region. 

The Taliban, in a statement, issued a clear warning that “misfortunes and difficulties” could befall countries that decide to host U.S. troops.  

Read more ....  

WNU Editor: Pakistan has already said that it will not host an American military presence. The central Asian countries will not. Iran definitely will not. So this threat is directed at India, and the Persian Gulf states.

30 Taliban Militants Killed In Explosion While 'Making Bombs' At an Afghan Mosque

The blast happened at a mosque in the village of Qultaq in the Dowlatabad district of Balkh province on Saturday morning 

Daily Mail: 30 Taliban militants are killed in explosion during bomb-making class at Afghan mosque 

 * The blast happened on Saturday morning in Qultaq, a village in Balkh province 

 * Six foreign nationals were among those killed, according to security services

 * Taliban violence has surged in Afghanistan in recent months despite peace talks 

 * On Monday, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said the alliance will not withdraw its troops from Afghanistan 'before the time is right' 

At least 30 Taliban fighters have been killed in an explosion at a mosque in Afghanistan during a bomb-making class. 

The 209th Shaheen Corps - part of the Afghan National Army - said in a statement that 30 fighters including six foreign nationals who were expert mine makers, had been killed in an explosion on Saturday morning. 

The blast happened at a mosque in the village of Qultaq in the Dowlatabad district of Balkh province. 

Read more .... 

Update #1: 30 Taliban killed ‘making bombs’ inside northern Afghan mosque — officials (Arab News)

Update #2: 30 Taliban killed in own IED explosion (Khaama Press) 

WNU Editor: Six foreign nationals were killed in this explosion .... Six ‘experts’ killed in explosion at bomb-building class in Afghanistan (National Post).

Taliban Slam CBS News For Saying That They Hope President Trump Wins Re-Election

Zero Hedge: Taliban Slams CBS 'Fake News', Refutes Claim They Endorse Trump 

CBS News allegedly said President Trump's reelection bid received support Friday from the Taliban. 

After the report was released, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid called out the western media outlet for "misinterpreting" what he said. 

Mujahid published a tweet Saturday, saying: "The CBS American media has misinterpreted and misrepresented my words, nothing like what they have published has happened." 

Read more ....

 Previous Post: The Taliban Hope President Trump Will Be Re-Elected Next Month 

WNU Editor The Taliban calling out and saying that CBS News is "fake news". You just cannot make this stuff up.

This Is The Taliban Commander That Drove The US Out Of Afghanistan

Generic silhouette image of a Taliban fighter in Afghanistan. Image: Agencies

Asia Times: The man who drove the US out of Afghanistan

Mullah Ibrahim Sadar is the hidden hand behind the Taliban's successful military campaign against the US

KABUL – The first time Mullah Ibrahim Sadar confronted US forces in Afghanistan he was given a lesson in the brutal reality of war that he would never forget. To those who later watched him rise through the Taliban’s ranks and win the respect of al-Qaeda’s inner circle, his sense of purpose was evident even then.

It was the autumn of 2001 and Sadar was a mid-level Taliban field commander tasked with organizing the defense of Kabul. As US airstrikes pounded the city, he put his fighters through training drills designed to repel a ground offensive and handed out gas masks in the mistaken belief that they were about to be targeted with chemical weapons. His tactics and outdated equipment were useless in the face of the American onslaught from above.

“With one bomb, all the mountains in Kabul were shaking,” recalled one of his men, Haji Sayed.

Read more ....

WNU Editor: He is one of many Taliban commanders .... A divided Taliban could unleash a new proxy war in Afghanistan (Atlantic Council).

Taliban Representative Visits Moscow After President Trump Says Talks Are Dead

It was the Taliban's first international visit following the collapse of talks with Washington [Evgenia Novozhenina/Reuters]

Al Jazeera: Taliban delegation visits Russia after Trump says talks 'dead'

At Moscow meeting, Russia stresses importance of resumption of US-Taliban talks and group says eager to renew dialogue.

Taliban representatives have held discussions with Russian officials in Moscow, just days after US President Donald Trump declared months-long peace talks between Washington and the group "dead".

Taliban's Qatar-based spokesman Suhail Shaheen confirmed the meeting in the Russian capital on Friday, saying the group's delegation held consultations with Zamir Kabulov, Russia's special envoy for Afghanistan.

Read more ....

WNU Editor: Aside the media coverage, nothing much came out from these "talks".

More News On Taliban Representatives Visiting Moscow For Talks

Afghan Taliban send team to Russia after U.S. talks collapse -- Reuters
Moscow holds Taliban talks -- France 24
Taliban Arrive in Moscow Days After Trump Declares Peace Deal 'Dead' -- Time/AP
Taliban negotiators arrive in Moscow days after Trump declares Afghan peace talks 'dead' -- FOX NEws
Russian FM confirms presidential envoy met Taliban delegates in Moscow -- The Nation

'Father Of The Afghan Taliban' Assassinated In Pakistan

Maulana Sami-ul Haq, a Pakistani cleric and head of Darul Uloom Haqqania, an Islamic seminary and alma mater of several Taliban leaders, talks during an interview with Reuters at his house in Akora Khattak, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province September 14, 2013. REUTERS/Zohra Bensemra/File Photo

DW: 'Father of the Taliban' killed in Pakistan

Top Pakistani cleric Maulana Sami ul Haq has been killed, family members have said, though reports contradict on whether he was shot at home. The Islamist leader trained members of the Afghan Taliban.

Maulana Sami ul Haq, a leading Islamist cleric, was killed in Pakistan on Friday by unknown assailants, his nephew and son reported. Pakistani government officials confirmed Haq's death, though details remained hazy, with some reports saying he had been stabbed in his home, others stating he had been shot dead and others yet stating he had been both stabbed and shot.

Read more ....

WNU Editor: I am not going to shed a tear for this religious fanatic.

More News On The Assassination Of The 'Father Of The Afghan Taliban' Maulana Sami ul Haq

'Father of Taliban' Mullah Sami ul-Haq killed in Pakistani city - deputy -- Reuters
Unknown attackers kills key Pakistani cleric with Taliban links -- AFP
Maulana Sami Ul-Haq, 'Father Of The Taliban,' Stabbed To Death -- RFE
Maulana Samiul Haq assassinated in Rawalpindi -- Express Tribune
Maulana Samiul Haq assassinated at Rawalpindi residence -- DAWN

Why Is Twitter Permitting The Afghan Taliban To Have An Account On Their Platform?

Twitter

Task & Purpose: The Pentagon Run-Down: Twitter Gives Taliban Free Rein

Shortly after the Marine Corps commandant declared, “We’re the Mujahideen,” Task & Purpose’s Pentagon correspondent went full Charlie Wilson by calling out the Taliban on Twitter, but Twitter doesn’t seem to care that it is giving a platform to a violent extremist group.

The U.S. government has classified the Afghan Taliban as a “Specifically Designated Terrorist Entity” since 2002, a State Department official told Task & Purpose.

“As a result of the designation, all property subject to U.S. jurisdiction in which the group has any interest is blocked, and U.S. persons are prohibited from engaging in any transactions with them or to their benefit,” the official said in an email.

Read more ....

WNU Editor: They delete conservative websites .... Conservative fury against ‘Twitter purge’ turns to action (Washington Times) .... but the Taliban are OK. You just cannot make this up.

Taliban 'Special Forces' Have Become A Serious Threat Against Afghan Security Forces

Asia Times: Taliban’s ‘Red Unit’ poses new threat to Afghan security

In December, US forces in Afghanistan released footage of an operation they conducted in the Taliban-dominated district of Musa Qala, in Helmand province. The grainy, black and white video showed them targeting a compound and blowing it to smithereens, with everyone inside.

An accompanying press statement declared that the “Taliban’s ‘Red Unit’ commander in Helmand province, Mullah Shah Wali, aka Haji Nasir, was killed in a kinetic strike.” The statement added that “one of Wali’s deputy commanders and three other insurgents were also killed.”

Helmand and Kandahar have proven to be the key provinces in the fight against the Taliban following the first wave of withdrawals of foreign troops, in 2014. Operations are being conducted with increasing frequency via NATO’s Operation Resolute Support in those areas.

Read more ....

Update #1: Taliban’s Well-Armed ‘Red Unit’ Attacks Afghan Forces (Antiwar.com)
Update #2: Taliban Fighters Using High-Tech Gear Kill Afghan Forces (New York Times)

WNU Editor: Joint U.S.-Afghan military operations have been successful in the past month to "decapitate" the leadership of this group. But to me this is just another indication on how resilient the Taliban are, and I predict that in the weeks and months to come these dead Taliban commanders will be replaced by others.

Final Exams Taliban Style

Images from Imam Ghazali School is in the Hindu Kush mountain range show pupils pour over their exam papers in a giant outside classroom

Daily Mail: Trained by the Taliban to enforce their Sharia teachings: Boys sit for their exams as AK-47-wielding guards stand over them at Afghan Islamist school

* Images show boys at Taliban run school in Afghanistan sitting exams
* It is thought the school is indoctrinating the boys into fundamentalism
* Pupils at Imam Ghazali School are watched by armed invigilators

Images showing the next generation of Taliban militants pouring over their exam papers – as armed invigilators patrol above them - have emerged from Afghanistan.

Taliban chiefs have been setting up a string of of schools in their strongholds in Afghanistan and remote parts of Pakistan to indoctrinate boys into their fundamentalist teachings that embrace Sharia law.

The Imam Ghazali School is in the Hindu Kush mountain range north of the capital Kabul and the pictures were released by the Taliban's official TV channel.

Read more ....

WNU Editor: There is only one school book (The Koran), and no girls are permitted. Upon graduation there is only one job opening .... working with the Taliban as a fighter or preacher.

The Afghan Taliban Have Their Own Version Of 'Special Forces'

Members of a purported Afghan Taliban "Special Forces Unit."The Long War Journal/Twitter

Newsweek: What Is the Taliban's 'Red Unit'? Jihadi Special Forces Are Using Russian, U.S. Tech for Attacks

It was called the “Caravan of Heroes.” The video opens with the silhouettes of commandos—guns cocked—appearing over a hill, a sunrise in the background. They could have been American or British special forces, but they were from another group: the Taliban.

The fighters, dressed in black camo slacks, are shown ambushing a checkpoint using military-style tactics and automatic weapons.

It appeared to mimic U.S. special forces and is the result of the Taliban creating their own elite division, one acknowledged by Afghan officials: the “Red Unit.”

Read more ....

WNU Editor: This Taliban unit has been very active .... The Taliban is using night-vision goggles to mount a wave of deadly attacks in Afghanistan (Business Insider). They are also a high priority target .... Commander of Taliban 'special forces' killed in Afghanistan: officials (Reuters)

Afghan Taliban Officials In Pakistan To Discuss 'Peace Talks' And the Arrest Of Key Taliban Leaders

Taliban militants appear at an undisclosed location in Afghanistan. Reuters

Reuters: Afghan Taliban envoys in Pakistan to discuss possible peace talks: official

A delegation from the Taliban's political office visited Pakistan over the weekend, senior officials said on Saturday, for discussions that could include the latest informal effort to restart talks to end Afghanistan's long war.

The visit comes days after Taliban sources said they had held informal meetings with Afghan and U.S. officials in Qatar, the first direct meetings in more than a year after a fledgling process to halt the 15-year-old conflict collapsed.

Taliban sources said Mullah Abdul Manan - brother of the late Taliban founder Mullah Omar - met with U.S. and Afghan officials but there was no breakthrough toward restarting formal talks.

Read more ....

WU Editor: I am sceptical on these "peace talks", and as for this Taliban delegation meeting Pakistani officials, I think it is more to do with Pakistan arresting some of the Taliban leaders that has forced them to meet Pakistani government officials .... Pakistan: Afghan Taliban delegation to discuss peace, arrests (Indian Express). More here on these arrests .... Taliban delegation arrives in Pakistan to 'discuss arrests of key members' (Express Tribune).

More News On Afghan Taliban Officials In Pakistan To Discuss 'Peace Talks' And the Arrest Of Key Taliban Leaders

Taliban envoys travel to Pakistan to discuss Afghanistan peace talks -- The Guardian
Officials: Taliban Brief Pakistan About Talks With Kabul -- New York Times/AP
Taliban leaders share information with Pakistan regarding Qatar talks -- Khaama Press
Afghan Taliban Political Envoys in Pakistan for Serious Talks -- VOA
Afghan Taliban leaders in Pakistan to discuss "refugees problems" -- Global Times

Former Taliban Leader Claims That Pakistani Intel Ordered Him To Conduct Attacks in Afghanistan

Mustafa Abu Yazid, al Qaeda’s former emir for Afghanistan and general manager, and Mullah Mansoor Dadullah, a former senior military commander in the Afghan Taliban, from a video released by As Sahab. Screen capture from the Site Intelligence Group.

Long War Journal: Dissident Taliban commander claims Pakistani intel ordered him to conduct assassinations, attacks in Afghanistan

A former senior Taliban leader who was ousted by Mullah Omar in 2007 has rejected Mullah Akhtar Mohammad Mansour as the new emir of the group and accused Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence Directorate of ordering him to conduct assassinations and attacks in Afghanistan.

Mullah Mansour Dadullah, the former Taliban commander, released a video addressing his complaints about the Taliban and Pakistan’s intelligence service to Afghan Islamic Press on Sept. 5. According to Afghan Islamic Press, Dadullah’s interview was recorded on Sept. 2, just days after his followers and the Taliban clashed in Zabul province.

WNU Editor: I do not know if this former senior Taliban leader`s claims are legitimately, but it appears that the current Taliban leadership wants him very dead .... Mullah Mansoor deployed 600 militants to fight Mullah Dadullah in Zabul (Khaama Press).

Update: Yup .... the current Taliban leadership wants this former Taliban leader gone .... 5 dead in fighting between rival Taliban factions as group tries to resolve leadership crisis (AP).

U.S. Attempts To Recruit Members Of The Taliban 5 'Totally Failed'

FOX News: Sources: Administration tried to recruit Taliban 5 members as informants, effort was ‘total failure’

The U.S. government tried to recruit members of the Taliban Five as assets, so they could gather intelligence and the U.S. could influence their future actions, Fox News has learned.

The effort to "flip" the five Taliban leaders into becoming informants, however, didn't work. A source familiar with the strategy described it as a "total failure."

Other sources, who discussed the option on the condition of anonymity, backed up the account.

Update: Obama admin. tried to flip ‘Taliban Five’; efforts a ‘total failure,’ source says -- Washington Times

WNU Editor: The idea that someone in the administration believed that they could convert some of these Taliban leaders to become US intelligence assets tells me more on what is the mindset of these US officials than why their attempt failed. The idea that these hard core extremists .... with untold blood on their hand .... would have an epiphany and convert to assist U.S. intelligence .... it boggles the mind. One thing that I have learned about life is that fanatics .... they will never change their mind or their loyalties .... never.

U.S. Official: 3 Members Of The 'Taliban 5' Tried To Reconnect With Terror Networks

FOX News: Official: At least 3 members of 'Taliban 5' tried to reconnect with terror networks

EXCLUSIVE: At least three of the five Taliban leaders traded last year for Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl have tried to plug back into their old terror networks, a government official familiar with the intelligence told Fox News, describing it as an attempt to "re-engage."

The new allegations come as Bergdahl now faces desertion charges, and as the one-year deal governing the former Guantanamo detainees' supervised release in the Gulf nation of Qatar is set to expire -- at the end of May.

The director of the Defense Intelligence Agency recently told Congress that, after that expiration, all his officers can do is warn the U.S. government if the men return to the battlefield.

WNU Editor: Considering who these men are .... and what they have done .... it is a safe bet that once they leave Qatar they will find a way to return to their old comrades to resume the fight.