Afghanistan's Taliban have set up a new question-and-answer section on their website to address some of the key issues that they do not feel get a free crack of the publicity whip. The Voice of Jihad, the official website of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan allows readers to submit queries to a spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid.

According to AP, the move is being seen as a shift in fundamental beliefs about technology. When they were in power the Taliban publically used to hang television people because there was so much un-Islamic on the box. Now it seems they have embraced social media and have a Twitter account. Sometimes NATO spokesmen argue with each other online, which is much better than shooting each other.

Maulavi Qalamuddin, former chief of the Taliban's "vice and virtue" squad, which whipped women without burqas and jailed men without beards, told AFP that he had two televisions in his house. The answers to questions appear to have been written by one bloke who is married, middle-aged, and likes all types of halal food. Most of the inquiries appear to come from Taliban supporters and often praise the militants, sometimes wishing them success in "the holy war against the crusaders".

Sometimes though one serious question gets through with Haseeb Ul Rahman asking if killing all these people in suicide and bomb attacks every day is a big sin? "Who do you think will be held responsible by Allah?" Mujahid said that civilians get killed during the enemy's operations. I can tell you with confidence that civilians are not deliberately killed by the mujahideen (Taliban fighters), rather it happens because of technical problems or missing the targets."  

So that is alright then.