sabato 26 dicembre 2015

Afghan Authorities Claim to Shut Down IS Radio

Nangarhar University students gather as some raise Taliban and Islamic State flags in Jalalabad, Afghanistan, Nov. 8, 2015. An Afghan official said the government is investigating links between universities and extremist groups. Local authorities in Afghanistan’s Nangarhar province say that Sadai Khilafat Radio (Voice of Caliphate), which broadcast pro-Islamic State propaganda, has stopped broadcasting in the eastern province. Mimicking IS's media outreach in Syria and Iraq, the Afghan branch also set up a radio station in Nangarhar, broadcasting at least one hour a day to attract young Afghan men disenchanted by dim job prospects in a war-torn country with an overall 24 percent unemployment rate. The joblessness is even higher among youths targeted in the IS recruitment drive. Atta Khogyani, spokesperson for the governor of Nangarhar, told VOA that local authorities were successful in discontinuing the radio station’s broadcast. He added that authorities are looking into finding the location where the radio was broadcasting. The frequency that Sadai Khelafat Radio was broadcasting is currently airing the national anthem of Afghanistan and other traditional music. Some officials in the local government say it is possible that foreign forces helped the government shut down the radio