back to article Hi-tech mobile hack spreads rumour of Taliban chief's death

The Taliban has become the victim of a hi-tech disinformation campaign spreading false rumours that its leader, Mullah Omar, had died following a heart attack. Text messages spoofed so as to appear to have originated from phones used by Taliban spokesmen Zabihullah Mujahid and Qari Yousuf were used to spread the rumour. …

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  1. Destroy All Monsters Silver badge
    Trollface

    That's pretty weak.

    Let's get Lulzsec on the case, some now in the fridge will probably "volunteer".

    Spread rumors about goats and unholy intercourse. Go!

  2. M. Burns Silver badge
    Devil

    You'd have thought they'd be more imaginative

    Like tweet pictures of Mullah Omar having sex with his favorite goat. Or more realistically, favorite little boy.

    1. Ian Michael Gumby
      Thumb Up

      Funny but alas no.

      Do you think that anyone in the Western world would ever prosecute a phone hacker for spoofing a misinformation text?

      Sending pics even fake ones of bestiality or Pedophilia would still get someone in trouble even if it was against the taliban,

      Sorry, but I still give you an A for effort. :-)

  3. Anonymous Coward
    Devil

    Could be wrong but...

    Didn't the Taliban rather frown upon the production of opium?

    1. Captain DaFt
      Devil

      They did

      They were anti-opium until they lost power in Afghanistan. Now they force farmers to grow it it exchange for a hefty cut of the profits to keep themselves financed.

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Devil

      Hypocritical whackos

      Nah - selective interpretation of their whacko philosophy is a standard requirement, as per page 2 in the "How to be a bunch of whacko's" guide.

    3. nyelvmark
      Unhappy

      Didn't the Taliban rather frown upon the production of opium?

      I'm sure they would be pretty strict on the use of it - but why would they care about poison being supplied to the infidel? Particularly if the opium growers were good muslims who all wore beards and didn't educate their girls, and furthermore were able to make generous donations to the cause.

    4. Anonymous Coward
      Pint

      In typical capitalist fashion,

      they were against it until they saw how much revenue it generated. Now they're all for it, but their members can't use it. Kinda like the Mormons and Coca-Cola.

    5. Originone

      mostly wrong but

      The Taliban only banned the growing of opium in 2000* but for the 7 years of their rule prior to that it was fine, their reason being that opium wasconsumed by westerners. Hashish production was banned from the time they came into power bcause it was consumed locally. The taliban "frown upon the production of opium" because the Koran forbids the use of intoxicants, but they have no concerns growing to supply to the infidels.

      * there is some suggestion that this was not out of religious zeal but to change the supply/demand equation in favour of higher prices.

  4. Anonymous Coward
    Holmes

    Clever stuff

    Might I suggest that the intelligence services aren't going to waste their time with pranks. If they were responsible then they were likely trying to provoke an increase in communication between Taliban members which might in turn reveal useful intelligence such as identifying couriers, exposing command structures and previously unknown players, maybe even locations.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Holmes

      If I was in intelligence..

      ...I bloody would waste my time on this type of stunt, as AC pertains to. I'm just surprised we don't hear more about this type of thing - surely it would turn up pure intelligence gold?

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      But then...

      ... people who spend decades reading a single book over and over yet still consistently wholly misinterpret its contents clearly don't have any intelligence.

      Oh wait, I don't think we're talking about the same kind of intelligence.

  5. Peter Simpson 1
    Mushroom

    Not *currently* true

    but may become true, shortly.

  6. Anonymous Coward
    FAIL

    Hi-tech

    What exactly is hi-tech about this? Any kid can do this.

  7. Anonymous Coward
    FAIL

    Hey Mr Taliban...

    Tally me banana...

    These religious guys are so crazy, they're dangerous.

  8. Stephen Gray

    Any kid?

    OK Martijn, how do you do it then? Just the basics will be sufficient.

  9. Mako

    I just wanted to say...

    ...that a $10M Bounty must involve some truly gigantic quantities of coconut and chocolate.

    1. tonysmith

      bounty

      not only that, he's got it balanced on his head apparently...shocking that no ones noticed a guy with a huge chocolate bar balanced on his head for near on 10 years.

      as for them not being techies, didn't they along with their iraqi comrades hack into US drone video feeds or the like?

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