August 30, 2026

Taliban Peek-a-boo


Taliban Peek-a-boo
Surreal. Slutzky Krai Belarusian state media

On Aug. 21, Belarusian news agencies reported on a group of Taliban officials who visited a dairy plant in Slutzky Krai. Images showed a half-dozen bearded men in traditional Afghan garb being shown around the facility. The images were circulated by Belarusian state media and made the rounds online.

However, only a few hours later, all mentions of the visit were removed, according to the pro-democracy news outlet Radio Free Europe.

Experts aren't sure why the reports were scrubbed. One theory is that the optics of a group of men being addressed by a woman aren't great when you are notorrious for oppressing women. Another is that the Taliban delegates did not have official diplomatic status. While Russia has recognized the Taliban government of Afghanistan, it's one of very few countries in the world that has done so.

Regardless, the internet never forgets: opposition and independent media grabbed the images while the grabbing was good and made sure that the incident will not be forgotten, despite the 404 pages on official news sites.

 

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