Taliban now tweets in English

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But unless you really want assorted three-letter secret agencies tracking you, it’s probably not a good idea to follow the Taliban’s Twitter account.

For the first time, the Taliban’s Twitter account, alemarahweb, features tweets in English, according to the Guardian’s Jon Boone, though following the account probably doesn’t qualify as an agency-approved use of social media — unless following the Taliban is already part of your job.

But if you’re comfortable with that possibility, you can now find tweets in English on the Taliban’s Twitter account, Boone writes. For the first time, someone tweeted in English May 12, reporting that: “Enemy attacked in Khak-e-Safid, 6 dead: FARAH, May. 12 – Mujahideen from Khak-e-Safid district say that at least…” The tweet contained a link to a short news report from the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, which is the Taliban’s name for its unrecognized government organization, Boone writes.

When the Guardian posted Boone’s article early May 12, the Twitter feed had 224 followers. Five hours later, that total nearly tripled to 647 followers. Three more tweets in English have appeared on the account since the first one.

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