US and Taliban argue on Twitter

The U.S. government battled the Taliban on Twitter during the weekend concerning an alleged roadside bombing, an official said Monday. The war of words began Sunday when a pro-Taliban Twitter user alleged a recent roadside bombing had killed eight soldiers, Politico reported. Lt. Col. Stewart Upton, a spokesman for the International Security Assistance Force's Regional Command Southwest, disputed the claim, tweeting, "Wow! 8 killed, don't you think there would be some type of announcement from ISAF? how was your poppy harvest?" The ISAF then got into the mix and posted several comments addressed to the pro-Taliban user, including, "The details on your videos are about as accurate as the details on your websites. I think we're done here. Good day." The pro-Taliban account came back with "Super duper pro tip: Never argue against a documented video clip. Makes you look like a juvenile, JUST STOP!" Upton told Politico the Taliban post about "10 lies or false tweets a day," and have a goal of showing strength to supporters and financial donors. "By engaging them yesterday on their false claim, they were held to account for their post and forced to somehow try and validate it," Upton said. "In the end, hopefully they lose credibility, donors and recruits when these false posts are pointed out."