Taliban's Pashto app removed from Google store

KABUL (Web Desk) - An app for Android phones, created by radical group Taliban to attract people to its cause, has been removed from Google's Play Store.

An app created by the Taliban has been removed from the Google Play store.

The content of the app - Alemarah - in the Pashto language, included official statements and videos from the Afghan movement.

The app "is part of our advanced technological efforts to make more global audience," Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahed told Bloomberg.



The group blamed "technical issues" for its disappearance shortly after it launched on 1 April.

However the app was, most understandably, taken down because it violated a Google app policy which prohibits hate speech.

It was discovered and reported by a US-based organisation called Site Intel Group which monitors militant activity.

Google declined to comment on specific app issues.

"Our policies are designed to provide a great experience for users and developers. That's why we remove apps from Google Play that violate those policies," it said in a statement.

App stores, social networks and other websites often face the challenge of deciding what type of content to remove and what to leave alone. Though careful not to step on the toes of free speech, many sites have policies banning content they consider terrorist propaganda or hate speech.