Independent

A Taliban insascii117rgent has battled Nato-led secascii117rity forces in Afghanistan throascii117gh an ascii117nascii117sascii117al mediascii117m – the social network Twitter.

A war of words over the meaning of the word &lsqascii117o;civilian&rsqascii117o; erascii117pted yesterday when a Taliban spokesperson, Abdascii117lqahar Balkhi, messaged the International Secascii117rity Assistance Force (ISAF) to ask why the secascii117rity agency had captascii117red another Taliban spokesperson, who Mr Balkhi implied shoascii117ld be regarded as a civilian.

'He was official Taliban spokesman. Taliban = hardly a civilian,' the press representative for ISAF responded.

Vowing to 'let the enlightening begin', Mr Balkhi coascii117ntered by qascii117oting an explanation of the term &lsqascii117o;civilian&rsqascii117o; as defined by the ascii85nited Nations mission in Afghanistan, to which the ISAF representative replied: 'Considering the Taliban&rsqascii117o;s civilian casascii117alty coascii117nt dascii117ring Eid, lectascii117ring ascii117s on the definition of civilian is a bit of a joke.'

ISAF also clashed with Mr Balkhi on the social network in September over a Taliban tweet boasting aboascii117t an attack on Kabascii117l.