Wealthier, Twitter-Savvy, With Sneakers and Sunglasses: What's Changed in Taliban 2.0

Days after taking over Afghanistan, Taliban made sure that their global image was that of a protector who have learned from past mistakes and is here to protect their country from foreign rule, keeping in mind rights of women, minorities and neighbouring nations.

So much so that the extremist group is now being dubbed as the Taliban 2.0 for their skilled use of social media in order to revamp the militant orgainsation’s image.

Here are the major changes that News18 could spot in the so-called new Taliban:

Wealthier

The Taliban of 2021 is in a far stronger economic position than when it emerged as one of several factions fighting a civil war in 1994.

As opposed to the still relatively new, inexperienced organisation from northern Pakistan, the Taliban now has maintained a deep financial presence in the country and enjoyed a number of economic wins to fund its operations.

According to a report by France24, the fundamentalists have maintained a long-running insurgency across the country since its fall in 2001, with a sophisticated financial network and taxation system to fund operations – including recent seizures of key border posts that reportedly earned them millions at the government’s expense.

Women

Two days after the fall of Kabul, TV viewers in Afghanistan watched a scene that would have been unthinkable under the former Taliban regime (1996-2001): An Afghan female presenter for the Tolo news channel interviewed a Taliban official.

The host, Beheshta Arghand, asked questions about the security situation in the Afghan capital. The privately-owned news channel also posted a video of another female journalist reporting from the streets of Kabul.

When the Taliban governed Afghanistan from 1996 to 2001, women were barred from taking most jobs and girls’ education was limited to primary school. Watching TV and listening to music was banned, and adulterers could be stoned to death.

International co-operation

The Taliban crave international recognition because they learned the hard way that being an international pariah hosting terrorists is a sure way to attract a foreign military intervention.

The movement’s leaders are well aware that the US invaded Afghanistan after their refusal to hand over the mastermind of the 9/11 attacks, Osama Bin Laden, and not over the human rights violations that had been taking place for several years before.

Twitter Image

Regardless of human rights violation concerns, the new Taliban have found a new way into the international community.

The Twitter and other social media content that the Taliban are now producing, are indicative of putting out an image that the dark age is all behind them.

After entering Kabul, the militants posted videos and photos presenting their fighters as ordinary, approachable people: working out, eating ice cream and looking good.

In other online videos, protective Taliban now check in with minorities like Shiite Hazaras and Sikhs, and insist that they are out to preserve their safety. Taliban leaders, who are Sunni, even attended a major Shiite commemoration. One official Taliban Twitter handle posted a video of girls attending school after the takeover in Herat to allay fears that women will be erased from Afghan public life again. The Taliban’s spokesperson stressed that the country won’t be used as a launchpad for terror groups again.

Taliban’s Attire

The Taliban 2.0 seems to have abandoned the austere look of their predecessors, whose fighters (from 1996 until 2001) were known for their hirsute and severe appearance, with the traditional dress worn with a full beard. The members now are spotted with sunglasses, stylish trainers and baseball caps branded with the Taliban flag.

Photographs taken in Kabul in recent days show some Taliban fighters even clean-shaved, abandoning the beard that is required under strict Islamic law. It has led social media users to mock the fighters as ‘avant-garde’ fashion victims working with ‘designers’ to create their looks.

A New York Times report, which was published earlier this year, stated that the “new style trend among Taliban fighters is apparently a white high-top sneaker”. Dubbed ‘Cheetahs,’ the shoes are among the best-selling models of sneakers produced by Pakistan-based footwear company Servis Shoes and endorsed by athletes and sports icons alike, according to Servis.

Servis “continues to evolve the brand positioning which is currently ‘Shoes For Everyone’ – a genuine and inspiring promise with our customers,” according to the company’s website. “Shoes for everyone” has apparently given way to “shoes for terrorists,” according to to the Times, quietly available at market kiosks. The sneakers have become synonymous with violence, and especially so on the feet of the Taliban.

Taliban Flag

The Taliban intends to replace the Afghan national flag with their white banner bearing the Shahada “La ilah ila Allah, Mohammad rasoul Allah” (There is no god but God and Muhammad is God’s messenger), according to a report in Al Jazeera. It stated that the removal of the Afghan flag has triggered protests in at least two Afghan cities, with at least three people killed in the eastern city of Jalalabad during an anti-Taliban protest.

The group’s Islamic Emirate flag has been used as the dominant symbol of militants for two decades. It is white and only carries the Shahada in bold black letters at the centre. Reports say it represents “the purity of their faith” and the undeterred faith of their government in Islamic principles. The same verse is also on the Afghan Republic flag but features less prominently as the national flag acknowledges other aspects of Afghan history.

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