Finishing the Fight for Freedom: The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan’s Strategic Communication of the “Freedom Jihad” Narrative Frame on X

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Author(s) Bořivoj Nachtmann
Contact Bořivoj Nachtmann, Charles University, nám. J. Palacha 2, Praha 1, 116 38, CZ. Email: borivoj.nachtmann@ff.cuni.cz
Issue CyberOrient, Vol. 19, Iss. 2, 2025, pp. 42_80
Published December 14, 2025
Type Article
Abstract This article examines the strategic communication of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter) between November 2022 and August 2023. Specifically, it focuses on the official spokesperson, Zabihullah Mujahid, whose account is the central node of the IEA’s X network. Drawing on Nicole Ball’s framework of post-conflict state reconstruction and utilizing the approach of Teun A. van Dijk’s critical-political discourse analysis, the study analyzes how the IEA constituted its dominant narrative frame of the “Freedom Jihad” and communicated its finalization to various audiences, preparing simultaneously for its transition into a new narrative frame of the “Development Jihad.” The research asks how the IEA used X to disseminate its narratives, what image it sought to construct, and how communication strategies evolved during this period, including the selective strategic use of different languages. Findings demonstrate that the “Freedom Jihad” narrative frame was articulated through three main components: the establishment of Islamic rule, the elimination of “corruptors,” and the forging of national unity. This way, in achieving security and stability, the IEA prepared for the arrival of a new era, one in the name of the “Development Jihad.”
Keywords Taliban, Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, Twitter, X, Critical Discourse Analysis, Strategic Communication
DOI https://doi.org/10.1002/cyo2.70005