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Taliban Seizes and Burns PCs, Cell Phones To Stop Obscenity

Posted by timothy on from the all-nude-all-streisand-effect dept.

retroworks writes "As translated from Central Asia Online, Cellular News reports that militants from South Waziristan set ablaze about 300 cellular phones and a number of computers in Wana because the devices were allegedly used to spread obscene materials. Prior to taking the action, they gave everyone fair warning with 'leaflets.' 300 cell phones down, 5 or 6 billion to go.

16 of 294 comments (clear)

  1. They took mine. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    I knew I shouldn't have browsed that one site where a woman showed her ankle!

  2. Objective Hide their actual Activities by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    First objective is to hide what they are doing. This is accomplished by no one able to photograph their brutal actions and so the Leaders will not be photographed for later intervention by NATO.

    Second is to control the media and what the people are told. Hopefully create more little zealots to continue the cause.

  3. Jokes on them... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    The toxic chemicals released from burning all that hardware gave them all cancer.

    HA HA.

  4. Lesser of many evils by dpilot · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Forget about this...

    Compared to throwing acid on a young girl's face because she wants what we consider an elementary education - now that's worth some outrage.

    Children are to be cherished and encouraged to reach for their full potential. Any society that fails to do this is failing, period - USA included.

    --
    The living have better things to do than to continue hating the dead.
    1. Re:Lesser of many evils by bmo · · Score: 5, Informative

      I had to google that last quote because I liked it so much.

      For everyone's edification:

      "Das war ein Vorspiel nur, dort wo man Bücher verbrennt, verbrennt man auch am Ende Menschen."

        "That was but a prelude; where they burn books, they will ultimately burn people also."

        Heinrich Heine, in the play "Almansor" - 1821

      --
      BMO

  5. Ya... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    I even got a speeding ticket last week! Cop asked, "You know what the speed limit is?"

    I answered: "Um, somewhere around 186,000 miles per second?"

    Go on, find some law you hate and then freely make absurd comparisons...

    1. Re:Ya... by meerling · · Score: 5, Funny

      How dare you make light of the situation. :)

      I'm betting not a lot of cops will get your joke. :(

  6. Re:Oh noes by houstonbofh · · Score: 5, Interesting

    No need. The US Congress is racing to do that for them. (I wish this was a joke)

  7. Re:Oh noes by jd2112 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    If they were smart they would burn the internet ...

    We' ll take care of that with SOPA.

    --
    Any insufficiently advanced magic is indistinguishable from technology.
  8. Is this about blocking porn or... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    About the militia maintaining a monopoly on electronic communication to prevent a rebellion or infiltration by the government or other tribal leaders?

    Remember, these villagers are mostly Muslim, and they pray five times a day. And somehow I doubt the people in the militia will be burning their own phones and computers.

  9. Signals Intellegence by Required+Snark · · Score: 5, Interesting
    Clearly, this has an impact on the strategic capabilities of the Talaban.

    There are two possibilities. Either they are eliminating all cell phones, or only the cell phones of the non-Talaban under their control. If the get rid of all cell phones, then their ability to coordinate and send/receive timely information will be seriously impacted. They will become less effective.

    If they keep cell phones for themselves, they become much more obvious targets. It will be easier to listen in on their communications because they will be the only ones talking. Even just detecting a cell phone signal will flag the location of a Talaban member. Not such a good move in the era of loitering UAVs with GPS enabled munitions.

    It's nice when your enemies are such stupid fanatics that they either shoot themselves in the foot, or paint a target on their backs. I hope they find even more ways to use their religious fanaticism screw themselves up.

    --
    Why is Snark Required?
  10. Close... by msauve · · Score: 5, Interesting

    "Taliban Seizes and Burns PCs, Cell Phones To Stop Obscenity"

    Contrast with:
    US Government Seizes and Burns DNS domains, To Stop Copyright Infringement.

    Discuss.

    --
    "National Security is the chief cause of national insecurity." - Celine's First Law
    1. Re:Close... by thegarbz · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Why contrast between two unrelated things?

      The USA arrested and jailed a man for directing obscene pornography between consenting parties.
      Now I'm sure some would argue what he did was manipulative and destroyed the lives of several people and liken his abuse to rape. Well the USA also arrested and jailed a man for possessing obscene comics, where no adults or children were harmed in the making.

      Let's discuss related facts shall we?

  11. Re:Ah, just like the Americans by bmo · · Score: 5, Informative

    Americans?

    Following your own link and reading it contradicts your assertion.

    Eskander also reported that the destruction was performed by "a mix of poor people looking for a quick profit, along with regime loyalists intent on destroying evidence of atrocities"

    And...

    âoeAccording to Eskander, Saddam loyalists burned the entirety of the Republican Archive, which contained the records of the Ba'athist regime between the years 1958 and 1979. Also completely destroyed were the Ba'athist court proceedings detailing the charges against and trials of party opponents. Records of Iraq's relations with its neighbors, including Iran, Syria, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia, are missing. Iraq has accused neighbouring countries of stealing sections of its national archives.[6]

    "Neigboring countries" are not Americans.

    Flamebait
    Troll
    Douchebag

    Fuck. Off.

    --
    BMO

  12. Re:Extingush the Taliban by JohnnyComeLately · · Score: 5, Insightful
    That's the huge problem: They don't think for themselves and there are literally centuries of distrust you're working against. Iliteracy is in the high 90-percentile in Afghanistan, and no one trusts anyone outside their villiage. For example, when that whacked out minister from Florida said he was going to burn the Koran, not actually do it but said he would, there were huge protests here. NATO and UN cars trying to enter/leave base were attacked, windshields cracked from large rocks thrown at them, etc. Those were just WORDS at that point, as I don't think he ever actually did it. Then, the TB incited people by saying the US Government endorsed the guy and was part of the Koran burning. You and I know that's ludicrous, but when you're literally a goat herder in the middle of nowhere, can't read or write, what else would you believe? Religion is just the ends to justify the means. TB are murderers who use the veil of Islam to justify their evil. Think through the logic on this parent thread: It's ok to put out a video of a man having his head severed with an old rusty machette, or hang a 7 yr old child in the middle of a public soccer game, because you THINK he might be helping the US, but... it's NOT ok to take a picture of a naked lady.

    How do you logic with that? The answer is you can't. I don't really expect you to understand because you're in a Westernized, modern, industrial world. You follow laws, understand technology and very likely had an education. None of these are done here, in Afghanistan where I write these words, nor have they been done in thousands of years. You know, you can drive a donkey down the middle of the road here, put a family of 4 (no eye, head or other protection) on a motorized scooter, or drive the wrong way down the road here in their capital (Kabul), right past a cop, and he won't do a thing? Mind blowing but that's how it is. After we leave, that's how it'll still be...

  13. Comment removed by account_deleted · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Comment removed based on user account deletion