Twitter Has Suspended An ISIS Account That Live-Tweeted Its Advance In Iraq

The Iraqi government on Friday also cut off access to social media, alleging it was necessary to stop ISIS' advance.

By
Miriam Berger
by Miriam Berger

BuzzFeed Staff

Twitter has suspended at least six accounts affiliated with the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), the extremist group gaining ground in Iraq and Syria since fighting escalated this week.

In another development, the Iraqi government also blocked access to many social media accounts, claiming it was necessary to stop ISIS from planning further attacks via those media. Critics allege that the government violated its own laws in doing so.

On Tuesday, the @Nnewsi account live tweeted ISIS' advance into Mosul, reporting which areas of Nineveh province was now under its control.

Miriam Berger for BuzzFeed

By Friday, Twitter had suspended @Nnewsi. Another popular ISIS affiliated account, @raqqa98 (which has 32,600 followers), has changed its name to @w_raqqa, perhaps to confuse outsiders.

Miriam Berger for BuzzFeed

Twitter does not comment on individual cases. According to the company's rules, the network will suspend accounts found to use excessive violence or, in some cases, at a government's request.

Later on Friday, Twitter suspended at least five more ISIS accounts, according to analysts. In Sept. 2013, Twitter cut Al Shabaab accounts that live-tweeted the extremist group's deadly attack on the West Gate mall in Kenya.

J.M. Berger @intelwire

Mandate of Baghdad account down too, along with Homs, Kirkuk and ISIS main. You are officially Shababed all right.

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