Photos: Facebook moves to block Taliban's WhatsApp accounts

Facebook said Tuesday it was blocking WhatsApp accounts linked to the Taliban after the group seized control of Afghanistan and sought to use the messaging service to help it govern.

"We have banned them from our services under our Dangerous Organization policies," a Facebook spokesperson told AFP. 

The Facebook move shut down a WhatsApp hotline the Taliban had set up to receive complaints about violence and looting, according to the Financial Times. 

A WhatsApp spokesperson said in an email to AFP that the company is required to follow US sanctions. "This includes banning accounts that appear to represent themselves as official accounts of the Taliban. We're seeking more information from relevant US authorities given the evolving situation in Afghanistan," the company said. "This means we remove accounts maintained by or on behalf of the Taliban and prohibit praise, support, and representation of them." 

The news comes with social media platforms facing pressure to block accounts used by the Taliban since the offensive which led to the takeover of the war-ravaged country.