Winning the hearts and minds... with Twitter?

The command overseeing U.S. operations in Afghanistan today announced the launch of its social networking strategy, which includes a Twitter feed and pages on Facebook and YouTube. Being touted as the "first-ever effort by the military in Afghanistan to engage non-traditional audiences directly with news, videos, pictures and other information from Operation Enduring Freedom", the strategy marks a move towards open communication stereotypically uncharacteristic of the military.

Since U.S. Forces -Afghanistan began testing the initiative on May 12, they have drawn more than 4,700 friends on Facebook and more than 1,400 followers on Twitter.

"Importantly for the war effort, the pages have quickened the pace at which commanders can get information to the public, allowing them to preempt extremist propaganda," USFOR-A stated in a press release. "The Taliban regularly make false claims of military victories to the Afghan press, which more often quotes insurgent groups than western spokespeople."

The release stated that the social networking activities are not focused on countering insurgent claims in the Afghan press, public affairs personnel hope the sites help strip militants of their attempt to influence the international press.

I am skeptical that Twitter and Facebook are tools which will significantly help the military combat insurgents' powerful PR machines, but applaud USFOR-A for working to promote their hard work through whatever channels available.

(Thanks to our Defense reporter Katherine McIntire Peters for sending this over.)