KANDAHAR, Afghanistan - Aside from its military and development work, Canada's biggest contribution to the war effort in Afghanistan may well be Tim Hortons coffee.
But it seems Canadians could be responsible for another export that's gaining popularity among Afghans in particular -- Facebook.
Once the record holder for the world's largest number of Facebook users per capita, Canada's love of social networking appears to be rubbing off in Afghanistan.
Although much of the war-torn country faces high rates of poverty, illiteracy and a lack of electricity, there are nonetheless more than 6,000 users registered to the Afghanistan network.
Many are Canadian, American and European ex-patriates working in Afghanistan in areas like development, security and diplomacy, while others are native Afghans who left their turbulent country to take up residence in the west.
Still, a number are local Afghans who work with foreigners and who, in some cases, were introduced to the website by their non-Afghan colleagues.
One young man who works with Canadians in Kandahar City, where the bulk of the country's 2,500 troops are based, said he first started using Facebook in 2002.
"I used to have Facebook when I was in college but I deactivated my account and joined it back after a Canadian colleague told me about the benefit of staying in touch with your friends and co-workers," said the 22-year-old.
He asked that his name not be used since working with foreigners is the sort of thing that could get somebody killed in Afghanistan.
"Facebook is the easiest way to keep in touch with your friends. You can upload pictures and all sorts of information that you would like to share with your friends."
Among a minority of Kandaharis who have Internet access at home, he uses it there almost daily and admits it can be "very time consuming." He currently has 62 friends and figures about a third of them are fellow Afghans. The rest are westerners he's met through his job.
"It is growing rapidly among those Afghans who interact with the international community," he said. "It is mostly popular among Afghans who work with westerners."
A fellow Afghan friend and colleague said he started using Facebook in January after learning about it from a Canadian soldier. Prior to that, he says, he was using MySpace, which he still uses and actually prefers.
The 23-year-old said while he generally uses Facebook to keep in touch with Canadian friends who comprise the bulk of his contacts, it's also a way of "meeting new female friends," something that's not easy in Afghanistan where there are strict religious customs that forbid interaction between non-married men and women who are not related.
Unlike these young men who have set their security options to high, there are many others on the Afghanistan network who have not.
A quick browse through the profiles suggests many Afghan Facebook users are young males who were born in the mid- to late-1980s. Many live in Kabul, though there are some from Herat and Kandahar, and most appear to be university educated.
They are interested in Indian music and sports and a number of them reference Rohullah Nikpai, the Olympic hero who just brought home Afghanistan's first medal -- a bronze in taekwondo -- from Beijing.
There are a number of Facebook groups devoted to him and he even has his own profile with 46 friends, though its authenticity isn't certain.
That said, Osama bin Laden even has a Facebook profile on the Afghanistan network as does Ahmad Shah Massoud, a military leader who was named a "national hero" by Afghan President Hamid Karzai in 2002 for his efforts to drive the Soviets out of the country.
Nicknamed the "Lion of Panjshir," he was assassinated by alleged al-Qaida agents two days before the Sept. 11 terror attacks on the United States. According to his Facebook page, he joined two weeks ago and has three friends.
But it seems Mullah Mohammed Omar, the reclusive and elusive founder of the Taliban may well be the most popular Afghan figurehead on Facebook.
His mock profile lists some 207 friends and suggests he's in an "open relationship" and is employed by Allah as "commander of the faithful."
Favourite activities include "chasing infidels" and "planning attacks on international troops," while his interests involve "beating women, Abdul the tea boy and polishing (his) AK-47."
