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New Taliban Media Savvy
KABUL — The current South Korean hostage crisis has shown a more media savvy Taliban than the regime that ruled Afghanistan for years before being toppled by US-led troops in 2001, experts agree.
"It's very easy to access the Taliban," Afghan journalist and parliamentarian Shukria Barakzai told Agence France Presse (AFP) on Sunday, August 19.
"But when you try to contact a government spokesman, it's very hard to reach him. Either you find their phones off or they're not available."
This accessibility is one face of the more sophisticated and refined media tools Taliban has developed.
Within days of abducting 22 South Korean church activists, Taliban released video images of and an audio interview with the hostages, winning immediate media attention around the world.
Last week, two Taliban spokesmen stood outside the venue of talks with Korean officials in the southwest province of Ghazni to announce an intention to free two women as a "gesture of goodwill".
In an extraordinary scene that has not happened in years, the spokesmen of a group hunted by the US military were surrounded by throngs of journalists.
Their pictures and statements were the highlights of news bulletins around the world and in all languages.
"The Taliban are no longer the Taliban of five years ago," said Barakzai.
"They have learned a lot."
Media War
Along with its new media prowess, Taliban is now resorting to videotapes and text messages claiming resistance attacks against US-led foreign troops.
Regular calls to journalists from secret locations to declare new attacks are also part of Taliban's media arsenal.
Analysts believe the new media expertise is giving Taliban the edge over the West propaganda of wining the war in Afghanistan.
More
"But when you try to contact a government spokesman, it's very hard to reach him. Either you find their phones off or they're not available."
This accessibility is one face of the more sophisticated and refined media tools Taliban has developed.
Within days of abducting 22 South Korean church activists, Taliban released video images of and an audio interview with the hostages, winning immediate media attention around the world.
Last week, two Taliban spokesmen stood outside the venue of talks with Korean officials in the southwest province of Ghazni to announce an intention to free two women as a "gesture of goodwill".
In an extraordinary scene that has not happened in years, the spokesmen of a group hunted by the US military were surrounded by throngs of journalists.
Their pictures and statements were the highlights of news bulletins around the world and in all languages.
"The Taliban are no longer the Taliban of five years ago," said Barakzai.
"They have learned a lot."
Media War
Along with its new media prowess, Taliban is now resorting to videotapes and text messages claiming resistance attacks against US-led foreign troops.
Regular calls to journalists from secret locations to declare new attacks are also part of Taliban's media arsenal.
Analysts believe the new media expertise is giving Taliban the edge over the West propaganda of wining the war in Afghanistan.
More
For more information:
http://www.islamonline.net/servlet/Satelli...
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