Taliban Exploits X Platform for Regional Propaganda Campaign Against Pakistan

Recent clashes between Pakistani forces and the Afghan Taliban along the volatile Durand Line have intensified an ongoing information war that extends well beyond physical borders. Following Pakistan’s airstrikes in Afghanistan—launched in response to continued cross-border terrorism—the Taliban has significantly ramped up its digital propaganda efforts, particularly on the social media platform X.

Security analysts monitoring this development have documented dozens of Taliban-linked accounts spreading misinformation, issuing threats, and attempting to inflame regional tensions, with Pakistan as the primary target of these digital offensives.

“The Taliban’s online presence is more visible on X than on most other major social platforms,” explains a regional security expert who tracks extremist content online. “This is partly because many other platforms have restricted or banned Taliban-linked accounts.”

Since the Taliban seized control of Afghanistan in 2021, establishing the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, the group has supported proxy campaigns against Pakistan through terrorist organizations like Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and the Hafiz Gul Bahadur network. All these groups have been designated as terrorist organizations by the United States and other international bodies.

Propaganda Machine in Action

Despite X’s stated policy of removing “any accounts maintained by individual perpetrators of terrorist, violent extremist, or mass violent attacks,” numerous Taliban accounts remain active on the platform, some with thousands of followers.

One particularly concerning Taliban-affiliated account, active since 2023 with over 10,000 followers, regularly posts inflammatory content against Pakistan and its military. On October 26, it called on Pakistani citizens to confront their military leadership, falsely claiming there was a plan to convert Pakistan into a Christian state—a provocative claim in the predominantly Muslim nation.

Another troubling trend involves Taliban accounts posting content challenging the legitimacy of the Durand Line—the internationally recognized border between Pakistan and Afghanistan that has remained contentious since Pakistan’s creation in 1947. These accounts promote the concept of a “Greater Afghanistan” that would incorporate parts of Pakistan’s territory.

Direct Threats and Real-World Consequences

The propaganda extends beyond mere rhetoric. Some Taliban accounts have issued explicit threats against Pakistan, including images of burning buildings with threatening messages directed at Islamabad. Following such posts, a suicide bombing in Pakistan’s capital killed 12 people and injured 27 others. While no direct link between the social media threats and the attack has been established, Pakistani authorities later stated the perpetrators had connections to Afghanistan.

“These aren’t just idle threats,” notes a counterterrorism analyst familiar with the region. “There’s a coordinated attempt to create fear and instability through both digital and physical means.”

Diplomatic Deception Campaign

Perhaps most sophisticated in the Taliban’s digital arsenal is its creation of impersonation accounts that fabricate statements from officials of neighboring countries. In one instance, Taliban operatives circulated a letter on what appeared to be official Tajikistan government letterhead, claiming that the president had banned activities of the National Resistance Front (NRF)—an anti-Taliban resistance group whose leaders have found refuge in Tajikistan.

The Tajik foreign ministry was forced to issue a statement confirming the document was fake. Similarly, the Taliban created fake accounts impersonating Tajikistan’s intelligence chief and interior minister, posting content aimed at damaging Pakistan-Tajikistan relations.

The sophistication of these forgeries became evident when even experienced diplomats were deceived. Former US Special Representative for Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad—who played a major role in the US peace deal with the Taliban—shared content from one of these fake accounts, inadvertently amplifying Taliban propaganda.

Exploiting Internal Divisions

The Taliban’s digital strategy also includes attempts to inflame ethnic and political tensions within Pakistan. Their accounts frequently post about alleged mistreatment of Pakistani religious groups and ethnic minorities, particularly focusing on Pashtuns (an ethnic group with populations in both Afghanistan and Pakistan) and Baloch people.

When Pakistan launched a crackdown on the religious political party Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan in early October, the Taliban’s spokesperson issued an official statement on X condemning the action, prompting Pakistan’s foreign office to formally request that the Taliban government stop interfering in Pakistan’s internal affairs.

Taliban accounts have also demonstrated support for Pakistan’s opposition party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), which has had strained relations with the country’s military. During government crackdowns on PTI protests in Islamabad, Taliban-linked accounts circulated fabricated content about protestor deaths, and recently spread false rumors about the killing of PTI chairman Imran Khan to trigger unrest.

Calls for Stronger Platform Oversight

While X has suspended some Taliban-linked imposter accounts, including one falsely using the name of the Chinese ambassador to Afghanistan, digital security experts argue the platform needs to take more aggressive action against extremist content.

The real-world implications of online extremist content were recently demonstrated when China and Japan experienced diplomatic tension triggered by a Chinese diplomat’s inflammatory X post—highlighting how digital provocations can carry serious diplomatic consequences.

As the Taliban continues to leverage social media to promote its ideologies and disrupt regional stability, experts stress that stronger content moderation would benefit not only South Asian security but would contribute to a safer global information environment.