If people had any doubt that 2021 could get even crazier, then it is safe to say that Qasr Bakhaly of the Taliban has safely dispelled any such notions. After the end of the 20 year US occupation of Afghanistan, the Taliban is mocking the United States with memes of Pepe the Frog and other memes.
Although the authenticity of the account could not be confirmed, its following and followers list does appear to suggest that the account does belong to a Taliban member. There also appears to be consensus among journalists on the social media platform that it is indeed a Taliban account.
The account posted a meme that showed a based Taliban Pepe. Rainbow flags pasted on the walls of the US Embassy were burning, which indicates their stance towards LGBT Rights. The meme also shows US citizens running helter-skelter to escape from the top of the roof while mocking the death of Afghan civilians who died after falling off a US aircraft after take off.
Another meme shared by the same account asserts rather proudly that they are going to stone people to death.
It was not the only Taliban account mocking the USA and the West with what are considered ‘based memes’. Another account, with the username @MalangKhostay with over 25,000 followers on the platform, shared ‘Wojak’ memes to mock western culture.
One account targeted France as well with a ‘Chad’ meme.
We cannot confirm whether these are authentic Taliban accounts but people on Twitter, including journalists, believe that these are accounts actually operated by members of the Jihadist outfit.
Didn’t think I’d live to see the day that Pepe the Frog became a symbol of militant Islamism endorsed by the Taliban. Bin Laden must be spinning. https://t.co/HidNy8NDlG
— Murtaza Hussain (@MazMHussain) August 31, 2021
Funny how from 2016 to 2020, Pepe went from a meme for actual dissidents to the symbol of Fox watching Trumpists who talked about Biden’s racist crime bill and Democrats as the real homophobes. The Taliban is reclaiming the original meaning. https://t.co/1QmXOFKdmW
— Richard Hanania (@RichardHanania) August 31, 2021
— Article V Convention of States please (@philthatremains) August 31, 2021
Malang Khostay called Qaser Bakhaly a friend in one of his tweets.
Meet my friend @Qaser_Bakhaly https://t.co/SXrja9hr8s
— Malang (@MalangKhostay) August 31, 2021
It is hard to say what is real and what is not anymore. Although these accounts could very well be impostors, on the face of it, it does appear that these are authentic Taliban accounts. Memes have been flooding the internet since the USA’s unceremonious exit from the country and it does appear that the Jihadist outfit has decided to participate in the ‘meme wars’ as well.
