MISINFORMATION CAMPAIGNS TARGETING TALIBAN GOVT, ALLEGES KABUL REPORT

The media outlets are said to be involved in a misinformation campaign to disseminate news which can destabilise Afghanistan, leading the Western powers to reassert their domination.

- ABHINANDAN MISHRA

Kabul has been colloquially referred to as the “City of Spies” due to its history as a hub of international espionage and intelligence activities.

The city got this name due to its strategic geopolitical importance which attracted diplomats, journalists, aid workers, and various intelligence operatives from around the world, converging on the city that has suffered many times for being the interest of “love” of rival and emerging super powers.

After the Taliban led administration took control of Afghanistan in August 2021, following the withdrawal of U.S. forces after nearly two decades, the effectiveness of intelligence operatives, who receive directives from handlers in different countries and time zones, including tasks involving misinformation to manipulate situations, was greatly diminished.

A recent comprehensive investigation by individuals and organisations, both inside and outside of Afghanistan, has uncovered that a network of Afghan media outlets are allegedly receiving financial backing from intelligence agencies. They are accused of spreading and amplifying news as part of a broader campaign aimed at destabilising a country already grappling with challenges on its north-eastern and western borders.

The primary aim of this campaign, sources in Kabul allege, is to weaken the Taliban government from within and destabilise it so that the international agencies and Western organisations can re-establish their writ.