In a surprise move, Twitter has restricted the account of the Taliban’s longstanding spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid.
The social media giant cited “some unusual activity” from Mujahid 's account as the reason for the move, which occurred minutes after he condemned a deadly bomb blast in the Afghan capital Kabul.
Officially, Mujahid now serves as deputy minister of information and culture for the Taliban government in Afghanistan. Though his Pashto and Dari language Twitter handles have been restricted, his recently created English account is still easily viewable.
The move has triggered mixed reactions among Afghans.
Supporters and members of the Taliban have dubbed it a slap in the face of freedom of speech.
"Freedom of speech advocates and ‘false’ claimants must now remain committed to their words, their actions and words are as different as heaven and earth," tweeted one of his supporters, using the hashtag
Others, welcoming the move, presented their own arguments in similar ways through tweets.
"Zabihullah Mujahid, who days ago used to claim responsibility for targeted terror attacks against Afghan forces and civilians, is now condemning terror attacks aimed at him and his men. If you plant rice, you will harvest rice,” tweeted a user who hailed the blockade.
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