What do we know about today’s Taliban?

Vaccines and "gene therapy"

This week:  The Taliban changes during a long war … Joe Rogan wrong that vaccines are 'gene therapy' … Mitt Romney on Trump's Taliban record … Viral video from Afghanistan not what it seems … A conspiracy theory about Walmart, debunked A weekly note from the editor-in-chief of    Taliban prisoners are released from Bagram Prison inside Bagram Air Base, in Afghanistan in 2020. (AP) What we know about today's Taliban When the Taliban controlled Afghanistan two decades ago, they were known for banning music and television, conducting public executions and imposing a fierce interpretation of Islamic law that sharply restricted the rights of women. Today, they intend to run the nation again — in very different times — and it's not clear what that might mean. In official statements, Taliban leaders put forth an image that is less draconian than the late 1990s, before U.S-led forces drove them from power. It's still too soon to tell whether they'll live and rule by those words. Here are answers to some key questions about today's Taliban, based on what we know now. How has the Taliban evolved since 1996? The Taliban controlled most of Afghanistan from 1996 to 2001, running a strict Islamic fundamentalist state and providing a base for Osama bin Laden and al-Qaida, which attacked the U.S. on Sept. 11, 2001. When the U.S and its allies retaliated, forcing the Taliban from power in Kabul, the group scattered, with many members finding refuge in neighboring Pakistan. By 2003, the Taliban began to regroup. Around 2006, the Taliban established elements of shadow governments in provinces where they held influence. In 2010, the Taliban shifted from primarily military control to a blended strategy that included ordinary public administration.   By 2011, the Taliban had signed agreements with 26 international humanitarian nongovernmental organizations. Buy-in was uneven among local Taliban leaders, who might cut off access or attack aid workers suspected of spying, but central leadership attempted to impose policies that accommodated the NGOs. By 2017, their governing apparatus was extensive, shaping health care, education and tax collections. "They regulate utilities and communications, collecting on the bills of the state electricity company in at least eight of Afghanistan's 34 provinces and controlling around a quarter of the country's mobile phone coverage," according to the Overseas Development Institute.  How has the Taliban's messaging changed? The Taliban operate a robust social media operation. They are active on Twitter and Facebook and in 2015 launched Telegram and WhatsApp channels. An estimated 90% of Afghans have access to a mobile device, and the Taliban are able to quickly produce and share infographics and short videos.  They have shown nuance in their communications with the international community. When an anti-Muslim terrorist gunned down 51 Muslims at mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, the Taliban called not for retribution, but for an investigation. The Taliban have consistently sought international recognition. Equally consistently, they speak of strict observance to their interpretation of Islamic law. It remains to be seen how they will balance the two goals, and how their need for international financial support might shape their policies. What is the Taliban's relationship with al-Qaida and the Islamic State? The Taliban maintains a relationship with al-Qaida, the international terror group blamed for 9/11 and scores of other terrorist attacks, bombings and assassinations around the world since the early 1990s.  "Ties between the two groups remain close, based on ideological alignment, relationships forged through common struggle and intermarriage," said a June U.N. Security Council report. Al-Qaida members are in Afghanistan — contrary to claims by President Joe Biden — although the Taliban have attempted to exert some control by registering them as foreign fighters. The Taliban generally oppose the Islamic State, a violent insurgent and terrorist group that ruled parts of Iraq and Syria in the mid 2010s and had affiliates in other countries. (It is also known as ISIS or ISIL.) According to the final report of the congressionally mandated Afghanistan Study Group, "The Taliban have taken active measures, sometimes with tacit U.S. support, against the Islamic State, driving it out of northwest Afghanistan and significantly circumscribing its mobility in the east." The Islamic State's Afghan offshoot, ISIL-K, blamed for the Aug. 26 terror attack in Kabul that killed 13 U.S. service members, competes with the Taliban for members. It has positioned itself as a hardline group and aims "to recruit disaffected Taliban and other militants to swell its ranks," according to the U.N. Security Council. Read more about the Taliban's individual leaders and how other nations get along with the Taliban in our full story. >>> — Jon Greenberg Share Tweet Forward The Latest from PolitiFact Joe Rogan falsely says mRNA vaccines are 'gene therapy.' Rogan, who hosts one of the most popular podcasts on Spotify, wrongly claimed that the Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines are "really gene therapy," conflating the vaccines' pioneering mRNA technology with the experimental technique that involves modifying genes to treat or cure disease. We rated his claim False. The COVID-19 vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna use mRNA technology to instruct the cells to recognize a spike protein on the coronavirus and mount a response against it, but they make no changes to a person's genetic makeup or DNA. The mRNA strands never enter the part of the cell that hosts DNA, and they are broken down soon after they are introduced into the body.   Romney accurate on Trump and Taliban prisoner release. Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah,  blamed both the Trump and Biden administrations for the chaotic events in Afghanistan. "Recognize that we're in the position we're in right now because of terrible decisions made by two administrations: One, the Trump administration negotiating directly with the Taliban, getting ready to invite them to Camp David, opening up a prison of 5,000 Taliban and probably ISIS-K individuals and letting them free," Romney said on CNN. We rated his claim about prisoners True. Part of a 2020 agreement between the U.S. and the Taliban called for the release of up to 5,000 Taliban prisoners who were held by the Afghan government. News reports and statements from Afghanistan's president indicate that the release happened under pressure from the Trump administration.   Social media post wrong about Taliban hanging by helicopter. Conservative blog sites and politicians such as Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, claimed that the Taliban hanged someone from a helicopter flying over Afghanistan. The viral rumor was based on a short, blurry video that shows a helicopter flying over the country with a person dangling from a rope beneath it. We rated the claim False. Various other images and videos show that the person dangling from the chopper was alive, moving and waving his arms. He was suspended by a harness that wrapped under his arms, not a noose around the neck. Several news outlets reported that the person had been tasked with trying to fix a flag on a public building. Our only agenda is to publish the truth so you can be an informed participant in democracy. We need your help   Yes, I support PolitiFact! Make a tax-deductible donation to make this message go away. What we're reading A recent story on Poynter.org described the results of a new survey of journalists and their thoughts on expressing political views. From the story:   "Journalists who want to express their political views on social media, engage in activism and ally themselves with social justice protesters value truth as much as journalists who seek to maintain a neutral, dispassionate approach to the profession. "That's one conclusion from our new study of 167 journalists that included professional reporters and editors at a variety of outlets as well as student journalists and journalism professors. "Many outlets, including Poynter, have written about the firing of staffers for social media posts, newsroom protests over insensitive headlines and the evolution of journalism ethics codes to allow journalists to publicly support certain causes. Taken together, these developments make it clear that the number of journalists who reject the traditional journalistic mindset is growing and beginning to alter the boundaries of the profession." Read the complete story for more on changing views of journalism. Here at PolitiFact, our ethics policy says PolitiFact journalists should refrain from expressing personal political views in public or on social media. Read our ethics policy here.  Think you can determine fact from fiction? We invite you to participate in our free online course How to Spot Misinformation Online to learn how to recognize health misinformation on the Internet, with an emphasis on COVID-19 vaccines. This short training will have you feeling more confident finding facts on Facebook and other social media platforms. Plus, special guests Christiane Amanpour and Joan Lunden will share media literacy tips before you put your new skills to the test. Enroll today.  How to Spot Misinformation Online is made possible thanks to Facebook and AARP. Quick links to more fact-checks & reports  Claim overstates the military weapons, equipment that the U.S. left to Taliban in Afghanistan   How everyday people help the CDC track COVID-19 vaccine safety with their phones   Yes, over $100 billion was spent on military contracts in Afghanistan   COVID-19 vaccine testing included people with underlying health conditions   Fact-checking Joe Biden on U.S. credibility as military withdraws from Afghanistan Do you smell smoke?  Here's your Pants on Fire fact-check of the week:  Walmart is "kidnapping kids" and selling them, and this can be proven by searching "girls shoes $5,000" on Walmart.com. See what else we've rated Pants on Fire this week.  Have questions or ideas for our coverage? Send me an email at holan@politifact.com. Put "Fact-checking" in the subject line. Thanks for reading! Angie Drobnic Holan  PolitiFact Editor-in-Chief  Send this link to your friends so they can sign up for this email! Copyright © 2021 PolitiFact, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email because you opted in at our website, attended one of our events, or communicated with us. Our mailing address is: PolitiFact 801 3rd St S St. Petersburg, FL 33701 http://www.poynter.org/ Add us to your address book Want to change how you receive these emails? You can *update your preferences or *unsubscribe from this list.  Subscription Information This message was sent to  Webmaster220 Bible Study Blog *the blog owner has deleted the hyperlink intentionally