STATESMEN, public figures and politicians the world over pen biographies that are quickly snapped up by people who would like to get a deeper insight into their lives. Now, it seems that even the leaders of militant outfits have caught on to this trend.

On Sunday, the Afghan Taliban published online the biography of their supreme leader Mullah Omar to mark his 19th year as the head of the militia that once governed Afghanistan.

The Taliban supremo is indeed an enigma; only grainy photographs exist of him and exact details about the man are difficult to verify.

Know more: Taliban publish biography of 'RPG-loving' Mullah Omar

So apart from hard-core followers, many ordinary people may also want to find out more about the reclusive militant commander. Reports indicate the publication contains interesting details about Mullah Omar’s tastes in weaponry, as well as the observation that he is not without a sense of humour.

The biography may well have been published to stem the tide of defections to the self-styled Islamic State.

While the world of Islamist militancy is indeed a murky one, we have seen radical movements make increasing use of the internet and social media for propaganda purposes.

Before he was killed, Osama bin Laden’s fiery exhortations to ‘jihad’ were often uploaded by Al Qaeda as a propaganda tool.

The IS, meanwhile, has a considerable web presence. While Mullah Omar’s online biography may be limited to reassuring his Afghan acolytes, the IS is an expansionist concern and uses the internet to recruit followers and brag about its battlefield ‘exploits’.

Hence, the use of cyberspace by hard-core Islamists cannot be ignored. That is why the state must keep an eye on cyber-jihadis to ensure they are not abusing the internet to forward the aims of extremist groups.

Seeing blood-soaked battlefield videos or listening to fiery sermons can radicalise young minds.

Keeping the implications of this in mind, the misuse of cyberspace by dangerous extremist groups should be checked, without the exercise affecting the right of freedom of speech of those who do not promote violence.

Published in Dawn, April 7th, 2015

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