Hamas The Hamas-controlled Twitter account @AlqassamBrigade has a modest 2,840 followers but updates frequently with opinions and links to the Al-Qassam news site. A recent message links to a story about an airstrike on Gaza carried out by "Israeli occupation forces" with no reported injuries. Other tweets commemorate the 'third anniversary of the Zionist war on the Gaza strip" and stories about Israeli settlers attacking a mosque and leaving "racist graffiti."

Taliban Sen. Joe Lieberman has gotten on Twitter's case for allowing Taliban-affiliated Twitter accounts to exist however, the Israel Law Center did not raise the issue of the Taliban as it would not hold the same legal muster. As The Telegraph noted in December, "Twitter reportedly rebuffed his call on grounds that the Taliban is not officially designated as Foreign Terrorist Organisation by the State Department. The firm has previously signalled its commitment to free speech by arguing that “the tweets must flow” and only shutting down accounts following a violation of its terms of service, such as impersonating someone else or harrassing other users."

One of the more amusing Twitter spats involving a Taliban-affiliated account happened in November between @ABalkhi and @ISAFmedia, the press office for the coalition forces' International Security Assistance Force. As CNN reported:

ISAF's twitterer replied: "@ABalkhi - Dumb dumb? How the dialogue elevates. Look: Nobody takes you seriously. Everything you type is wrong. Just. Stop." The Taliban affiliate replied: "@ISAFmedia - That's why they picked you for this job. If I wasnt here, you wouldnt have a job."

Other militant Twitter handles in Afghanistan include @ alemarahweb and @ alsomood. Giving a rundown of what you generally see on Taliban twitter accounts, Ben Farmer at The Telegraph writes "The information has ranged from highly accurate, up-to-the-minute accounts of unfolding spectacular attacks, to often completely fabricated or wildly exaggerated reports of American and British casualties." The accounts "regularly feature tweeted boasts about the deaths of "cowardly invaders" and "puppet" Afghan government forces.

Al-Shabaab Al-Shabaab's Somalia-based Twitter account @HSMPress, boasts almost 8,000 followers and is written entirely in English with some of the more punchy language you'll see. "With the institution of Islamic Shari’ah, there hasn’t been a single unlawful killing in # Baladweyne since Mujahideen captured city in 2009," reads a recent tweet. In the past, the account has been cognizant of Western attempts to shut it down, as Mashable reported last month. "Many of their tweets emphasize the group’s fight against the Kenyan military, who entered Somalia in October to battle the Shabab. The Obama administration’s concern, however, is recruitment of new militants." By its tweets, the account owner appears to be unfazed by any threats to shut it down.

This article is from the archive of our partner The Wire.