Oops! Blundering Taliban chief accidentally reveals names of 400 recipients on secret mailing list including provincial governor, activists and an Afghan warlord

By Leon Watson

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Saying 'sorry' might not be enough when a Taliban spokesman tries to explain this hugely embarrassing blunder to his boss.

The unfortunate insurgent pressed send on a routine email last week with one big mistake in it: he had publicly CC'd the names of everyone on his mailing list.

Qari Yousuf Ahmedi, an official Taliban spokesman, sent them out on Saturday in a press release he received from the account of Zabihullah Mujahid, another Taliban spokesperson.

Qari Yousuf Ahmedi pressed send on a routine email last week and publicly CC'd the names of everyone on his mailing list

Qari Yousuf Ahmedi pressed send on a routine email last week and publicly CC'd the names of everyone on his mailing list

ABC News said Ahmedi then forwarded Mujahid's email to the full Taliban mailing list, but rather than using the BCC function, or blind carbon copy which keeps email addresses private, Ahmedi made the addresses public.

'Taliban have included all 4 of my email addresses on the leaked distribution list,' tweeted journalist Mustafa Kazemi, a prolific Kabul-based tweeter with more than 9,500 followers.

 

'Quite reassuring to my safety.'

The list, made up of more than 400 recipients, consists mostly of journalists, but also includes an address appearing to belong to a provincial governor, an Afghan legislator, several academics and activists, an l Afghan consultative committee, and a representative of Gulbuddein Hekmatar, an Afghan warlord whose outlawed group Hezb-i-Islami is believed to be behind several attacks against coalition troops.

Journalist Mustafa Kazemi revealed what happened in a series of tweets

Journalist Mustafa Kazemi revealed what happened in a series of tweets

(File picture) Taliban officials read a statement during a press conference

(File picture) Taliban officials read a statement during a press conference

The Taliban routinely send out press releases to their mailing list, often claiming responsibility for attacks against Afghan and coalition targets. They are known for exaggerating casualty figures.

In recent weeks, the Taliban have increased the number of emails they send out, growing from just a handful every week, to several per day. Most of the emails are sent from Ahmedi's account.

The increase coincides with the end of the annual Taliban fighting season, prompting one local journalist to joke, 'I guess when fighting season ends, emailing season begins.'

Qari Yousuf Ahmedi did not return emails requesting a comment, ABC News reported.

 

 

The comments below have been moderated in advance.

Lets be glad he works for them and not us.

Click to rate     Rating   8

Take notice there is no light in that fool Nothing look at the face pure Darkness

Click to rate     Rating   4

And who says that they did not plan it to be just so? They are perfectly aware that all their emails are read by the Americans anyway so this guy did not give away anything.

Click to rate     Rating   3

All Muslims should have been required to watch Derren Brown tonight. It is official. Religion is all in the head, and started as a moral self defense mechanism; although that didn't work in some cases did it.

Click to rate     Rating   2

These cockroaches have devastated and torn apart a once beautiful country with the help of the CIA and MI6 in other words the creaters and supporters of Taliban.

Click to rate     Rating   4

Thats what happens when you give an animal a laptop.

Click to rate     Rating   4

I don't understand them, they want to live as backwards as ever, killing girls who go to school, treating women without any respect but want to use modern technology, that is the computer and internet. they hate everything western but forgot this is a western invention.

Click to rate     Rating   10

Do you Really believe any of this???

Click to rate     Rating   1

Ugly, disgusting and ruthless does not equal "clever"

Click to rate     Rating   5

I just wonder if BT put a fibre optic cable in for the Taliban to ensure a high speed broadband connection. I still like the story I'm LMAO.

Click to rate     Rating   1

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