Thread by @asfandyarmir

.@Tmgneff, @fahimabed, & @NajimRah with a detailed look at the information dissemination and control strategies of the major political players -- Afghan gov't, Taliban and the US military -- in Afghanistan. nytimes.com/2021/01/10/wor…

"[When confronted with incidents of civilian harm by govt forces] Even the pretense of accountability shifted to outright condemnation of those going against the government’s bottom line, probably because of a fear of losing public standing further."

"As the Taliban have scaled up their propaganda distribution, the Afghan government has tightened the reins on official dialogue with the public."

"Since October, the Ghani administration has muzzled provincial spokesmen and district governors, demanding that they stop relaying information to the news media, several Afghan officials from multiple provinces told The Times, especially relating to civilian casualties."

"...repression of information has been a boon for the Taliban...Feb. 29 agreement with the United States on a timetable for withdrawal, experts say, helped legitimize the group on an international level, prompting the Taliban’s public relation apparatus to grow considerably."

"The Taliban often lie about death tolls in their attacks, denying civilian casualties and at times blaming coalition forces for them. [It] has denied taking any role in the recent string of targeted killings across the country, despite being directly implicated by the U.S..."

"In reality, the [Taliban PR] has two lines of effort: one supporting the peace talks and the other discrediting the Afghan government on the battlefield and supporting Taliban fighters."

"To help counter the Taliban’s narrative, the United States started a small psychological operations unit called the Information Warfare Task Force-Afghanistan, according to U.S. military officials."

"By combining cybertools, intercepted communications and social media, the unit acts as an immediate counter to disrupt messaging and information channels of the Taliban and terrorist groups in the country..."