By Abu Moslim Khorasani

1. Introduction

This research, titled "Duel of Jihadists in Afghanistan's Public Sphere: The Online War between the Taliban Emirate and ISIS Khorasan," is a small-scale study that covers a portion of the media and propaganda war waged by terrorist groups in Afghanistan. The war is more significant and widespread, demanding long-term, large-scale research. The author intends to focus on other aspects of the online war between terrorist groups and their use of online spaces and social media in future studies.

2. Pre-Taliban Takeover Dynamics

Before the collapse of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan on August 15,   2021, the relationship between the Taliban and ISIS Khorasan fluctuated between local cooperation and conflict over resources, legitimacy, and territory. Following the fall of the previous Afghan government to the Taliban, the clashes and collaborations between ISIS Khorasan and the Taliban in military fields and media environments have entered a new phase of the internal struggle between jihadist groups, each claiming to be the rightful heir to the jihad tradition.

3. Online Battleground

The findings of this study show that the Taliban and ISIS Khorasan, both fundamentalist terrorist groups falling under the broad umbrella of "jihadism," have clashed in an online battle and propaganda war. For this purpose, the Taliban launched the analytical news website Al-Marsad with the slogan "A Strong Trench Against the Kharijites," while ISIS Khorasan established the "Voice of Khorasan" magazine. Both websites, which publish online content, were created for propaganda purposes.

4. Shared Online Warfare Pattern

Although media usage patterns differ among jihadist-terrorist groups, the Taliban and ISIS Khorasan employ a similar approach in their online war, with a strong emphasis on social media and online environments. Therefore, the logic, tools, and patterns used in this war follow a similar model. The Taliban follow al-Qaeda's model in using traditional media, while they resemble ISIS in their use of social media.

5. Language Strategies

ISIS Khorasan publishes the Voice of Khorasan magazine in Pashto, Persian, and English. The findings suggest that the main edition is published in Pashto and then translated into other languages. Consequently, roughly 80% of the content is produced and published in Pashto, followed by 13% in Persian and 7% in English. The Taliban, however, publish content on the Al-Marsad website in Pashto, Persian, English, Arabic, Urdu, Uzbek, Uyghur, and Turkish. This signifies that the Taliban have a broader and more open opportunity for waging a propaganda war against ISIS Khorasan.

6. ISIS Khorasan's Cultural Engagement

The findings indicate that ISIS Khorasan attempts to infiltrate the public sphere of its target audience by utilizing cultural symbols and local socio-political codes. This group's emphasis on literary, political, and religious sections demonstrates that ISIS Khorasan transmits its ideological messages to the online public sphere within local communities' cultural, literary, and political components. Notably, 36% of the group's magazine content comprises literary topics, including poetry, stories, and even content for children. This signifies ISIS's strategic engagement and adaptability within local communities.

7. Global Reach of Online Propaganda

The diverse use of languages in the online war between the Taliban and ISIS Khorasan highlights that these groups have national, regional, and global programs for recruiting fighters, generating approval, establishing religious-jihadist legitimacy, and disseminating their extremist ideologies. ISIS publications in three languages and Taliban publications in eight international languages pose a severe warning to counter-terrorism and Islamic fundamentalism centers worldwide, particularly in countries with high levels of immigration where young people are easily susceptible to such propaganda. This underlines the significance and influence of social media and cyberspace for Islamic fundamentalist groups like the Taliban and ISIS.

8. Three Pillars of Online Conflict

Furthermore, ISIS Khorasan and the Taliban engage in an online war that revolves around three major non-media-specific concepts: religious delegitimization, jihadist delegitimization, and challenging ideological foundations. Although this war has physical dimensions, the online battle is broader and more intense. Terrorism leverages online platforms as a virtual training camp to achieve its primary goals.

9. The Reiteration of Extremist Keywords

The online framing of fundamentalist Islamic groups by each other leads to the repetition of extremist and ideology-amplifying keywords like "takfir" (excommunication), "tafsir" (misinterpretation), and "fitna-mongering" (inciting discord) within society, captivating a portion of public opinion. The circulation of these media messages in Afghanistan's public sphere, where participation from other social classes is limited, has actual and devastating consequences. However, the potential risks extend to countries in the region and the world as these ideas continue to circulate globally.

10. Global Implications of Online Warfare

In a general summary, the findings of this study show that the online war between the Taliban and ISIS Khorasan has occupied a portion of the online public sphere in Afghanistan and, consequently, in the region and the world. While the main battlefield of this war is located in Afghanistan and neighboring countries, its potential consequences have a profound impact on the global level. The media propaganda and online war of these groups on the internet have paved the way for the spread of religious extremism and Islamic fundamentalism, and they reinforce "neo-terrorism" as a mutated form of terrorism.

Please find the link to download the 10th volume of the AISS Mehr Brief. Please note that this particular Mehr Brief is only available in Persian.

Abu Moslim Khorasani, Researcher of Media and Terrorism Studies, Leipzig University, Germany.

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The article does not reflect the official opinion of the AISS.