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Government might consider using mobile phones in Afghan war

Government might consider using mobile phones in Afghan war Distributing mobile phones in Afghanistan to help win the propaganda war being waged against the Taleban, is reportedly being considered by the government.

According to the BBC, non-governmental organisations could distribute mobile phones to Afghans for them to make their own, presumably pro-western, video diaries.

If the plan comes to fruition, it could be a case of the government playing the Taleban at their own game as anti-Western films already circulate on the estimated six million mobiles that exist in the war-ravaged country.

The idea is apparently the brainchild of an outside consultant and although it hasn't yet been green-lighted by the powers that be, it is said by the Foreign Office to "have merit".

Mobile phones could help the Foreign Office achieve its ambition of having up to 100 short films made by Afghans ready in time for a film festival next summer.

There is a growing realisation that the Taleban has a stranglehold on propaganda using new media.

An unwanted reminder of the Taleban's propaganda expertise came with the recent distribution of mobile phone footage showing the bodies of dozens of Afghan civilians killed in a US-led raid in August.

Mobile phone networks are often the only means of communication in a country where the infrastructure has been decimated. Mobile phone networks have invested big bucks in the Afghan regions, despite facing power cuts and attacks on telecom masts by Taleban who claim international forces use cellphones to track their location.

However, several high-profile al-Qaeda leaders in hiding have benefited from the technology by having video footage of their speeches distributed to mobile phones.

Journalists in war zones can also make use of advancements in mobile software and manufacturing to submit field reports from isolated places using devices that are specifically-designed with the work of a correspondent in mind.

Industry News posted on 13 October 2008

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