Terrorists out-tweet the enemy

Terrorist groups are outmanoeuvring international strategists by using the newest mass communications to gather support in Muslim nations.

Prakash Mirchandani, a visiting fellow at the Australian National University's Strategic and Defence Studies Centre, said terrorists such as Osama bin Laden and his deputy, Ayman al-Zawahiri, were adept at using technology such as bytes, tweets, digital images and social networking forums as weapons in their warfare and diplomacy.

In a paper to be delivered this week, Mr Mirchandani will warn that countries such as Australia, the United States and Britain are in danger of losing this battle.

Terrorist leaders were using videos that were reported by news channels and validated by CIA statements to conduct what he called ''virtual state visits'', Mr Mirchandani said.

''Terrorists are relying on new media platforms and using them very effectively. But I am not convinced that coalition countries, including Australia, are communicating with similar impact to the Muslim audiences which al-Qaeda holds so dear.

"The two terrorist masterminds, bin Laden and al-Zawahiri, are conducting virtual state visits deep into the heartlands of their enemies through their video messages.

''Al-Qaeda and other terrorist organisations increasingly use the internet and new media technologies to spread their message, and are doing so with speed, impact and at little cost."

Mr Mirchandani, a former ABC executive and BBC correspondent, said new media were presenting many problems for coalition forces.

"At a time when a humble USB stick can be loaded with images of battles and other propaganda material, bypassing the most severe censorship and restrictions from a war zone, and journalists have become primary targets in conflict, new media brings with it a whole series of questions we need to be asking."

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