Conservative critics are slamming Twitter for allowing a Taliban spokesman to tweet after banning Donald Trump from the platform f...
Conservative critics are slamming Twitter for allowing a Taliban spokesman to tweet after banning Donald Trump from the platform for life.
Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid has had an active Twitter account since 2017, and over the weekend tweeted live updates as the Islamic militant group stormed the Afghan capital of Kabul.
Though his account is not verified, Mujahid is often quoted by the media, and his Twitter bio reads 'Official Twitter Account of the Spokesman of Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan' in reference to the Taliban's new self-designation.
On Sunday, Mujahid tweeted that Taliban soldiers had 'conquered' Kabul, as Taliban soldiers stormed the presidential palace and government buildings.
Taliban fighters are seen in Kabul on Monday. A Taliban spokesman has been tweeting live updates as the Islamic militant group stormed the Afghan capital of Kabul
Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid has had an active Twitter account since 2017
Trump was permanently banned from Twitter over the U.S. Capitol riot on January 6
Trump's loyalists are seen storming the US Capitol on January 6
Trump was permanently banned from Twitter over the U.S. Capitol riot on January 6, with the company explaining that he had violated its 'Glorification of Violence policy'.
Twitter said in a statement at the time that Trump's tweets 'are likely to inspire others to replicate the violent acts that took place on January 6, 2021.'
The company did not immediately respond to a request for comment from DailyMail.com on Monday morning.
Conservative critics including Republican lawmakers were quick to accuse Twitter of hypocrisy.
'The Taliban Spokesman has a Twitter account without any problem. Meanwhile, President Trump is banned from the platform,' tweeted Rep. Claudia Tenney, a New York Republican. 'Something is very wrong here.'
'Why on God's green Earth does the Taliban spokesman have an active Twitter account but not the former President of the United States?' asked Rep. Madison Cawthorn, a North Carolina Republican.
'Who's side is the AMERICA BASED Big-Tech companies on?' he added.
Adrian Hilton, a conservative academic and lecturer on political philosophy in the UK, also pointed out the apparent double standards.
'Twitter banned Donald Trump for expressing support for rioters who stormed the US Capitol. Twitter permitted the Taliban official spokesman to live-tweet Mujahideen terror, the acquisition of arms, storming the Afghanistan capital, and the occupation of the presidential palace,' he wrote.
Over the weekend, the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan was all but complete, after the U.S. spent two decades and billions of dollars attempting to prop up a democratic government friendly to the West.
The U.S.-led invasion of Afghanistan in 2001 ousted the Islamist militants from power, but they never left, and returned to power after Afghan government forces completely capitulated.
After the Taliban blitzed across the country in recent days, the Western-backed government that has run the country for 20 years collapsed.
Afghans, fearing for the future, are racing to the Kabul airport, one of the last routes out of the country, where scenes of chaos unfolded on Monday.
Scenes of chaos unfolded at the Kabul airport as Afghans tried to cling to a military transport
Taliban fighters are seen on the back of a vehicle in Kabul, Afghanistan on Monday. Taliban co-founder Abdul Ghani Baradar declared victory and an end to the decades-long war
The Taliban say they want to form an 'inclusive, Islamic government' with other factions. They are holding negotiations with senior politicians, including leaders in the former government.
They have pledged to enforce Islamic law but say they will provide a secure environment for the return of normal life after decades of war.
But many Afghans distrust the Taliban and fear that their rule will be violent and oppressive. One sign that worries people is that they want to rename the country the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, which is what they called it the last time they ruled.
U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said the failure of the Afghan military is to blame for the Taliban's swift takeover of Afghanistan.
Sullivan said Monday that President Joe Biden didn´t want the U.S. to enter a 'third decade of conflict' in Afghanistan and believed it was time for the Afghan army to defend the country two decades after billions of dollars of investment and training by the U.S.
But Sullivan said, 'we could not give them the will and ultimately they decided that they would not fight for Kabul.'
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