[JAMALUDEEN]

Originally Posted by BarakzaiAbdali

And remember, I have never asked for a ban on Ghaznavi, Toramana, Soldat, LZ, or any other person.

This is one request that is legitimate.

Mr. Noorzai should shed is military reporting and instead be forced to act within the regular rules of a forum.

Just as Deutshe Bank cannot come here and randomly post DB promotions, most of his posts are just exactly that. They are one sided and sanctioned by the military as a part of this program.

I don't think, this noorzai character will debate us as he is not programmed to debate but to spread propaganda...through his one sided articles..by centcom

I also vote for a ban.

[BarakzaiAbdali]

Originally Posted by Jamaludeen

I don't think, this noorzai character will debate us as he is not programmed to debate but to spread propaganda...through his one sided articles..by centcom

I also vote for a ban.

Well the issue is also that he will just simply remove the CENTCOM banner at the bottom of his postings and continue to post action alerts. That is basically him doing the same exact thing as before. Written pieces by a military figure on behalf of the US military with merely the centcom banner at the bottom gone would just be a slick way that he could get to act like an underground recruiter.

So that should certainly be discouraged as well.

i dont see that happening,.

except for what you have stated there(which is enough)why in the hell would the PF big boys want to do it.

[JAMALUDEEN]

Originally Posted by BarakzaiAbdali

Well the issue is also that he will just simply remove the CENTCOM banner at the bottom of his postings and continue to post action alerts. That is basically him doing the same exact thing as before. Written pieces by a military figure on behalf of the US military with merely the centcom banner at the bottom gone would just be a slick way that he could get to act like an underground recruiter.

So that should certainly be discouraged as well.

You are right...

I say, there should be seperate rules that should govern people such as noorzai on this forum.

A much easier fix would be a straight ban as soon as they are discovered.

[JAMALUDEEN]

Originally Posted by graveyardofempires

i dont see that happening,.

except for what you have stated there(which is enough)why in the hell would the PF big boys want to do it.

I also think. The forum content should be made private, especially the " Politics & Current Affairs "and "Society and Heritage"...

[BarakzaiAbdali]

Originally Posted by graveyardofempires

i dont see that happening,.

except for what you have stated there(which is enough)why in the hell would the PF big boys want to do it.

Well I mean there are so many examples of this. I thought one of the forum rules was what I stated above... for instance, if I was the CEO of Deutsche Bank I could not come here and post DB articles and DB ads and DB recruiting tips... and if DB was under fire, I thought since I would be posting as a corporate entity, the rule was that I could not do so.

In this way, Noorzai is a CENTCOM rep, posting CENTCOM action statements and CENTCOM admitted propaganda pieces.

This is not Noorzai going to some website like Toramana does and reading an article, digesting it, and posting it and then debating it.

This is Noorzai basically using a bullhorn to broadcast his view. His statement itself may get him some curses back etc. but its original intent is not to engage in discussion at all. Its basically... the equivaelnt of a US military series of Deutsche Bank ads.

Moreover, the Gaurdian and NPR articles are hard to dismiss and he is playing by the letter to what they describe. That in and of itself is sickening.

If the Forum was adopted by the Taliban as a strategy bullhorn, it would be immediatly hit and all its moderators arrested and members hunted down. As a result, the official statement exists that PF is not the place for that sort of exchange.

When Miawand posts something, he finds it on CBS news, or some Afghan paper etc.

So just as one side of the conflict cannot take advantage of the forum, so too should the other be discouraged from doing so in an official capacity.

And note, I did not ever call for an MDresden ban ever. This is more serious per the articles and what they entail.

[tor_khan]

BarakzaiAbdali and Zmarak. Salaam to you both.

The issues raised are in fact very pertinent. Outside of offering a platform for Pashtuns in the disapora and from either side of the Durand to come together, the 'mission intent' of the forum is to hopefully serve as a cultural library/repository of debate. More generally Admin and I support dialogue and unity for our people, and the wider civic development that stems from that. Beyond that, whilst we explore politics and ask searching political questions, we do not actively or passively serve to promote a party political agenda.

Is it possible that various intelligence groups are monitoring/watching and covertly setting up user accounts to steer their own agendas? The honest truth is that neither Admin nor I can offer any guarantee that a Member/User is who they say they are. I have periodically reminded the board (see Announcement dated 03-19-2011) to understand that whilst we bond with one another and explore ideas, the global war on terror focusses very much on Pashtuns. Whilst the particular posting that I have linked to here points to the use of personal images, the text of the announcement refers to a wider problem of 'trust'. Being on the Internet we are in effect almost inside a goldfish bowl and knowing that perhaps, should remind us that we have a responsibility to think carefully about what we say and how we wish to project our community.

On the note about military personnel/subversive individuals etc. covertly filtering in; IP searches can sometimes be unreliable, however, I believe it is appropriate for me to share with the community that there have been instances when attempts by individuals to slip through have been picked up. We have previously refused permission and financial incentives for 'recruitment' drives for those wishing to tap into our language potential, the bottom line being, we wish to remain independent.

The article, Barakzai, is one that I will read InshAllah.

[BarakzaiAbdali]

Originally Posted by tor_khan

BarakzaiAbdali and Zmarak. Salaam to you both.

The issues raised are in fact very pertinent. Outside of offering a platform for Pashtuns in the disapora and from either side of the Durand to come together, the 'mission intent' of the forum is to hopefully serve as a cultural library/repository of debate. More generally Admin and I support dialogue and unity for our people, and the wider civic development that stems from that. Beyond that, whilst we explore politics and ask searching political questions, we do not actively or passively serve to promote a party political agenda.

Is it possible that various intelligence groups are monitoring/watching and covertly setting up user accounts to steer their own agendas? The honest truth is that neither Admin nor I can offer any guarantee that a Member/User is who they say they are. I have periodically reminded the board (see Announcement dated 03-19-2011) to understand that whilst we bond with one another and explore ideas, the global war on terror focusses very much on Pashtuns. Whilst the particular posting that I have linked to here points to the use of personal images, the text of the announcement refers to a wider problem of 'trust'. Being on the Internet we are in effect almost inside a goldfish bowl and knowing that perhaps, should remind us that we have a responsibility to think carefully about what we say and how we wish to project our community.

On the note about military personnel/subversive individuals etc. covertly filtering in; IP searches can sometimes be unreliable, however, I believe it is appropriate for me to share with the community that there have been instances when attempts by individuals to slip through have been picked up. We have previously refused permission and financial incentives for 'recruitment' drives for those wishing to tap into our language potential, the bottom line being, we wish to remain independent.

The article, Barakzai, is one that I will read InshAllah.

Salamoona Tor Khan Mashr Saheb

I am glad you initiated the jirga. I think this aspect of PF is what makes it valuable.

The issue with the Noorzai account is that it openly accepts on its own banner that it is CENTCOM. The dual posting of Pashto messages coupled to English messages is even more evidence of the fact that this individual is indeed US Army affiliated and serving in an official capacity.

And once again, just as we welcomed MDresden and we even engaged him in civil debate to the point where he became upset and started threatening members... I think its well in line with your mission statement for someone to enter in such a capacity as MDresden initially appeared to do.

The Noorzai Jahan account on the other hand is by its own verbage and its own banner a strategy tool.

If you arrange nearly 99% of his posts occur when an event occurs in Afghanistan proper and damage control or propaganda offensives need to occur.

[BarakzaiAbdali]

A while back there was a poster that was putting up pictures of downed US troops and the forum as a whole agreed that this person, very likely had some links there and he was immediatly banned.

I am very glad that these recruitment offers are turned down as it ensures a nice environment in which all of us can air our opinions in a reasonably safe way.

[tor_khan]

Barakzai, I thank you for bringing this matter to our attention. The recruiters for language skills have been refused since the early days and now and then come back, to the same answer of refusal.