The micro-blogging site Twitter has received support and accolades from an unexpected quarter, Taliban, which has lauded billionaire Elon Musk owned platform for its free speech.
Taliban leader Anas Haqqani has said he prefers Twitter due to its commitment to freedom of speech.
Haqqani waded into the social media war between Twitter and Threads.
Haqqani expressed support for Musk and commended Twitter for its free speech policies and the public nature and credibility it offers.
He also compared the policies of both platforms and said that while Meta restricts people from freely sharing their views, Twitter allows everyone to communicate their message more openly and also has a wider audience.
"Twitter has two important advantages over other social media platforms. The first privilege is the freedom of speech. The second privilege is the public nature & credibility of Twitter. Twitter doesn't have an intolerant policy like Meta. Other platforms cannot replace it," Haqqani tweeted.
Pertinently, the Taliban maintains an active Twitter account with thousands of followers.
Taliban frequently update their 'Islamic Emirates Afg' account with posts in the Urdu language.
The micro-blogging website enables the group to express themselves despite their many controversial and internationally condemned policies.
In contrast, Meta, which owns Facebook, Instagram and Threads, has designated the Taliban as a "Tier 1 designated terrorist organisation".
A Meta spokesperson has reportedly stated that the company does not allow terrorist individuals, organisations or networks on its platform.
"We assess these entities based on their behavior both online and offline, most significantly, their ties to violence," the company says in a policy statement.
However, even as the Taliban leader endorses Twitter over Threads, Meta's new social media app has seen significant success since its launch.
Threads surpassed 100 million signups in just five days and also dethroned ChatGPT as the fastest online platform to hit the milestone.
Twitter, on the other hand, has seen its traffic dip by some 11% compared to the same period last year, the New York Post reported.
