Afghans have been deleting photos and tweets from their past since 15 August, and many have abandoned social media altogether for fear of being targeted by Taliban forces.
Before the Taliban took power in Afghanistan last month, numerous influential social media users in the country were outspoken critics of the group’s policies.
Despite the Taliban’s announcement of a general amnesty for all Afghans who had previously fought against them or were members of the previous government, some fleeing the country told the BBC that they did not trust the militant Islamist group.
Despite their leaders’ earlier promises, there have been reports from across the country that Taliban fighters have killed civilians since the fall of Kabul.
Last week, Taliban Defence Minister Mohammad Yaqoob issued an audio message in which he acknowledged reports of “revenge killings” of civilians by the group’s fighters. He didn’t go into any further detail or mention any specific incidents.
Fears of possible repercussions from social media posts arose, and Facebook added new features for Afghan users, including the ability to lock their profiles and deny access to content.
As claimed by BBC news, the BBC spoke with two people, one in Kabul and the other in another significant Afghan city, who had millions of social media followers and were considered influential before the Taliban took power.
Both have since deleted their accounts, fearing that they will be targeted. Due to Afghanistan’s current state of affairs, the names of the users interviewed have been changed in our report.
If found, people will be shot in the head
Fida, an Afghan man, based in Kabul, was a frequent social media user and outspoken critic of the Taliban’s policies and behaviour.
On the other hand, Fida has deleted his Facebook account and is now on a list of people who will be granted asylum in Western countries.
He told the BBC that after the Taliban took control of Kabul, he was told by relatives that he was in danger of playing a negative role in the Taliban’s war against “occupiers.”
“They told my relatives that despite the general amnesty, people will not forgive,” he said, adding that his name was on a list of people who were “shot in the head wherever they were found.”
Fida deleted all of his social media accounts on 16 August, the day after the Taliban took over the capital.
His most recent Facebook post was anti-Taliban, and he stated that he no longer wanted to live in Afghanistan.
“I’d rather die than live here right now,” he said.
Wait a minute; it’s only the beginning
Harris, who now lives in another city under Taliban rule, told the BBC that he deleted his social media accounts two days before the fall of Kabul because “the Taliban regime is coming and democracy is gone.”
Before the Taliban’s takeover last month, the Afghan government was accused of sponsoring social media accounts, allegedly providing salaries from the presidential palace in exchange for posts supporting the government and criticising the Taliban.
However, one of the hundreds of young Afghans who will soon leave their country to seek refuge elsewhere, Haris stated that he had never posted anything at the request of anyone or for money.
“I was in favour of democracy, not President Ashraf Ghani,” he said, adding that he had also criticised Mr Ghani on social media.
When asked why he wanted to leave the country after the Taliban declared an amnesty for all Afghans, he said he felt unsafe.
“They’re still targeting people, killing them, and looking for them,” he said, adding, “It’s just the beginning, just wait.”
Haris predicted that the Taliban would impose their strict interpretation of Sharia – or Islamic – law throughout the country in the coming months. “I doubt any educated Afghan will be able to stay here,” he said.
The Taliban has repeatedly told Afghans not to leave the country and cooperate with them in national institutions so that the nations educated can serve their own country rather than another.
However, many young Afghans have stated that they do not trust the Taliban or their promises and intend to leave the country as soon as possible.
