Journalists falsely accused of links with Taliban following Pentagon propaganda story

Washington, April 21 (ANI): Fake websites and Facebook accounts of two USA Today journalists, Tom Vanden Brook and Ray Locker, have been set up accusing them of being backed by the Taliban.

The two journalists were investigating a case in which private security companies were engaged in foreign propaganda wars on behalf of the Pentagon, The Guardian reports.

The two became targets of an Internet campaign just days after they published the results of their investigation into a multi-million dollar Pentagon-funded propaganda mission in Iraq and Afghanistan in an attempt to discredit their work.

During the journalists mission, fake websites, Twitter feeds and Facebook accounts were set up by the journalists' names in which they were accused of being backed by the Taliban.

The source of the campaign has not been identified.

The Pentagon told USA Today that it was unaware of any such activities and stressed that the act was unacceptable.

USA Today said that the first sign of dealings was seen on January 7 when a fake website 'TomVandenBrook.com' was created.

The incident occurred just days after Vanden Brook contacted private contractors used by the Pentagon in Iraq and Afghanistan to carry out 'information operations', propaganda designed to support US war aims.

Both fake websites and the fake Twitter and Facebook feeds have now been removed. (ANI)