Psychological Operations in Afghanistan
By Herbert A. Friedman
Note: Portions of this article were featured in
"Perspectives," the Journal of the Psychological Operations Association, Volume
14, Number 4, 2002. Portions of this article were used in the report “USAF
Psychological Operations, 1990-2003,” by Dr. Daniel L. Haulman, 23 May 2003. Many of
the images in this article were depicted in the 2012 Rand Corporation National Defense
Research Institute monograph “U.S. Military Information Operations in Afghanistan -
Effectiveness of Psychological Operations 2001–2010”. Permission was granted for
the 10th PSYOP Battalion, the U.S. Army Center for Lessons learned, and the ISAF Combined
Joint Psychological Operations Task Force to use this article as a reference source for
training the Afghan Army and embellishing the conventional Afghan Information
Dissemination Operations with more graphic content. Images from this article were used in
"Three Practical Lessons from the Science of Influence Operations Message
Design" by M. Afzal Upal, Canadian Military Journal, Volume 14, No 2, 2014. Images
from this article were used by Matthew Wallin of the American Security Project in his 2015
“white paper” on U.S. Military public diplomacy entitled “Military Public
Diplomacy: How the Military Influences Foreign Audience.” Douglas Little requested an
image from this article for the cover of his book published by the University of North
Carolina on the U.S. and the Middle East since 1989 entitled “Us vs. Them.”
Alicia Cunningham-Bryant requested several images from this article for Temple
University's Intellectual Heritage program to illustrate the impact the imagery of War
Rugs had on the Afghans and the art form. Author Debi Cornwall requested the use of some
of images in this article for her book “Beyond Gitmo: On the Legacy of Guantánamo
Bay.” Images from this article were used by CGTN (China Global Television
Network) a 24-hour English news channel, of China Central Television (CCTV), based in
Beijing. Permission was granted to use images from this article to the German online
satire encyclopedia “Stupidedia.” This article was heavily referenced in the
book “Taliban Narratives, The use and Power of Stories in the Afghanistan
Conflict,” by Thomas H. Johnson, with Matthew DuPee and Wali Shaaker, Oxford
University Press, 2017. An Iranian University group of students in Tehran from the
Persian-language “Scrooge Podcast” broadcast a story titled “History of
Psychological Warfare” and used leaflets from this article as illustrations.
This article is the history of psychological operations (PSYOP) in Afghanistan for the
first seven months during the heavy combat phase of the invasion and occupation after the
attack on the New York City World Trade Center on September 11, 2001. Although almost all
of these leaflets are in full color, in many cases they also exist in black and white and
on various grades of paper. Poorly cut specimens are common. Much of the printing work
uses digital presses; so printing plates are not required. Printed leaflets are
forwarded to the regional battalion in the field for dropping. When higher
headquarters requests samples of such leaflets, reprints are often printed based on what
data can be determined from the regional battalion. As a result, official reference
leaflets may appear slightly different from those that were dropped. Know also that
excellent facsimiles exist and we have already seen fake color photocopies of a dozen
leaflets offered in the marketplace. Let the buyer beware!
I should also point out that we show only a very small percentage of the total
number of leaflets and posters printed and disseminated in Afghanistan. In general, we
attempt to add a translation to every leaflet we depict, and in cases like Operation Iraqi
Freedom that is not difficult since there are many Arabic speakers who are willing to
translate text. In the case of Operation Enduring Freedom, the number of Pashto and Dari
speakers in the United States is rather small and it is extremely difficult to translate
the text on the hundreds of leaflets and posters we have accumulated. We have attempted to
depict a nice mix of themes, but the reader should understand that this is just a small
number of the total pieces we could show.
We should mention a brief word about the terminology in this article. The attempt to
win the hearts and minds of friends and enemies was first called “Propaganda”
(from the Catholic Church - Congregatio de propaganda fide), and later changed to
“psychological warfare” (PSYWAR) about 1920. The term was changed to
“psychological operations” (PSYOP) about 1945, although it did not gain
popularity until about 1960 when it became clear that many of the influence operations
like asking the people to support a new national government took place during peacetime.
The Army then experimented with the term “information operations” (IO) about
2003 which started to blur the lines between PSYOP, military deception, operational
security, electronic warfare and computer networks operations. In 2010, the military
decided on the term “military information support operations” (MISO). It is
important to remember that no matter what we call the art of influencing the enemy, the
methods used and the personnel involved really do not change. For the purposes of this
article we will use the term PSYOP. In future articles I suspect we will be forced to use
the term MISO, unless the military decides to make another change.
Note: I started writing this article in 2001 and finished it shortly afterwards. In
July of 2006 I came across a very concise United States Army War College research paper
entitled “Information Operations” by Peter L. Burnett Jr. The
“Psychological Operations” paragraph explained PSYOP in Afghanistan with such
clarity that I add it here:
During the initial attack against Afghanistan, the Afghan people’s views of America
were negative primarily due to a lack of knowledge the people possessed regarding the
attack. The Taliban government and the leadership of al-Qaida tried to convince the people
of Afghanistan that America was attacking the religious faith of the Afghan nation. The
Taliban government and the al-Qaida network’s goal was to gain support of the Afghan
population, the political will of the people, and to promote hatred toward any American
effort in Afghanistan. Using PSYOP as a tool, America was able to reach the people through
leaflets, food, broadcast coordination, use of coalition forces, and good deeds to prove America
was not attacking their religious faith, but was attacking terrorist activities. The PSYOP
efforts cast a brighter light regarding America’s efforts in Afghanistan regardless
of America’s efforts or explanation. No country wants to be attacked, but the PSYOP
efforts have paid off and proven to be an effective measure in America’s efforts
against terrorism.
On 11 September, 2001, terrorists of the al-Qaida (the Base) group, some trained and
financed by Saudi Arabian exile-in-hiding Osama bin Laden, attacked the World Trade Center
in New York City and the Pentagon in Washington DC. Bin Laden was a long-time terrorist
who was known under such alias as Osama bin Muhammad bin Laden, Usama bin Laden, the
Prince, the Emir, Abu Abdallah, Mjhahid Shaykh, Hajj, the Director, the Contractor, and
still more names. In response to the terrorist attacks, the United States launched the
Global War on Terrorism.
On 12 September, the day following the attack, Tactical PSYOP Detachment (TPD) 940
began target audience analysis of Afghanistan, including the Afghan populace, the Taliban,
and al Qaida. On 4 October 2001 a 95-man Joint Psychological Operations Task Force (JPOTF)
was activated at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, and placed under the operational control of
the Central Command (CENTCOM). The 3rd Psychological Operations battalion deployed to
Kuwait that same month to support Operation Enduring Freedom.
The primary PSYOP objectives were to shift the debate from Islam to terrorism and to
counter adversarial propaganda; to discourage interference with humanitarian affairs
activities; to support objectives against state and non-state supporters and sponsors of
terrorism and to disrupt support for and relationships of terrorist organizations.
Leaflets and radio scripts were prepared.
This is discussed in some depth in FM 3-05.301,
Psychological Operations Process
Tactics, Techniques, and Procedures, August 2007:
During the early days of Operation Enduring Freedom, the United States Central
Command helped attached PSYOP planners from the 4th PSYOP Group to grant the authorization
to officially organize the 8th PSYOP Battalion to become the PSYOP Task Force in direct
support of the Central Command commander…The POTF’s print assets were stationed
initially at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. This necessitated printing the leaflets and
recording the radio messages at Fort Bragg, then distributing these messages to forward
locations. Roughly 70 days after 11 September 2001, the Central Command commander received
authority to approve PSYOP products. This action resulted in a previous PSYOP product
approval staffing process of several weeks being reduced to as little as 24 hours.
U.S. Army Special Forces and, later, other coalition forces were inserted in
northern Afghanistan. There was great concern at this time that the U.S. and coalition
forces not be viewed by the Afghan people as just another invading force like the Soviets
in the 1980s. PSYOP planners crafted their first Psychological Operations objective to
“Reduce the effectiveness of Taliban and al-Qaida forces in Afghanistan.”
Supporting arguments were:
(1) The forces of al-Qaida are not Afghan—they are foreign invaders.
(2) al-Qaida has empowered the Taliban to oppress the people of Afghanistan into
doing what al- Qaida wants the people of Afghanistan to do.
(3) Mullah Omar and other Taliban leaders are merely puppets controlled by al-Qaida.
(4) Coalition forces are here to help the people of Afghanistan establish a
government for Afghanistan run by the people of Afghanistan—not by foreign invaders.
(5) The United States and coalition forces have delivered thousands of tons of food
and aid supplies to the people of Afghanistan. What have the Taliban and al-Qaida done to
help the people of Afghanistan?
Just two days before the start of combat operations on 5 October 2001, EC–130
Commando Solo aircraft began to transmit radio broadcasts to Afghanistan. The first B-52
leaflets from Diego Garcia were dropped on 14 October 2001, almost a week after combat
operations began.
Leaflet AFD-184
This is an interesting leaflet because it shows a smiling and waving Afghan child on
the front and three wanted terrorists on the back; and what might be a bombed-out cave
system. 160,000 AFD-184 leaflets were produced at Ft Bragg, forwarded to Afghanistan, and
disseminated by M129 leaflet bombs in the first year of the war. The title of the leaflet
was simply “This child deserves…”
The text on the front and back is:
This child deserves a hopeful and good life.
Not a fearful and oppressed life.
Osama bin Laden - Ayman al-Zawahiri - Mullah Omar.
Report Terrorist Activities.
World Trade Center Leaflet AFD-189
Early in the war many Americans clamored for a leaflet showing the burning
World Trade Center to explain to the Afghans why the United States had attacked the
terrorist al-Qaida faction and Taliban forces ruling their nation. The Central Command
stated that they would not produce a leaflet showing the burning building because the
"third-world" Afghans would not understand the concept of the
"skyscraper," and it might cause a loss in the believe of the honesty of all
Coalition leaflets. Such a leaflet was eventually produced near the end of the war. It
seems clear than any people, regardless of their situation, would understand the American
desire for retribution after seeing this leaflet. The text on the front and the back of
this leaflet is:
20th September, 1380. World Trade Center
The Coalition Forces came to arrest those responsible for the
terrorism against America. They also come to arrest anyone that protects them.
More than 3,000 people in the United States of America were murdered in these
attacks.
[Note: the date is obviously using the Persian Calendar].
The Rand Corporation monograph U.S. Military Information Operations
in Afghanistan - Effectiveness of Psychological Operations 2001-2012 agrees with the
military assessment. It says that most Afghan viewers would not understand the images on
the screen of airplanes exploding into tall, glittering buildings.
A proper target-audience
analysis would have revealed that most rural Pashtun audiences had never seen
a skyscraper and could not associate the drawings or photographs of the World
Trade Center with buildings full of people. The target audience had never seen
a jet airliner, either and did not realize that those planes were also full of
innocent civilians. Most Afghans had never
seen a television set, and certainly has no knowledge of New York City. Rand implied that
the leaflet was ineffective.
One of the
most profound tools the Civil Affairs/PSYOP group shared with the Afghans
was a video that the group played for villagers on a laptop or portable
digital video camera. The video was a compilation of scenes from the events
of September 11, 2001, and the days following, with a Pashtun narrative
explaining what happened. This proved to be the one thing the Afghans were
interested in the most. None of them knew what had happened, and upon seeing
the video, they understood and further supported our presence in
Afghanistan. The video helped further their dislike of the Taliban and Al
Qaida, and support for U.S. forces in Afghanistan grew.
The International Council on Security and Development in 2010 indicated that 90% of men
in Helmand and Kandahar provinces did not see a link between the 9/11 attacks and the
American invasion of Afghanistan. While a slight majority of those questioned could
recognize photos of the World Trade center being struck by aircraft, they could not
connect it to the 9/11 attacks or the justification for the military entry into
Afghanistan.
World Trade Center Poster AFC025
An 11 x 17-inch poster was produced in Pastun and Dari that depicted a similar
picture of the World Trade Center attack, perhaps a few seconds later than the leaflet
image, with a greater fireball. The poster is coded AFC025.The text is:
On September 11, 2001…
2823 people were killed.
4300 children lost their family members [father or/and mothers].
The Al-Qaida terrorists hijacked local airplanes filled with passengers and struck
the World Trade Center in New York City.
The coalition forces are searching for Al Qaida members to punish them for what they
have done.
World Trade Center Leaflet AFD-22b
Although there is no evidence that the leaflet was ever disseminated, a leaflet
coded AFD22b depicted the burning World Trade Center at the left and Afghan ruins at the
right. The text is:
Foreign Terrorists do not believe in any borders
New York – U.S.A. Harat -Afghanstan
The back depicted Afghan and Coalition friends together and two hands shaking,
similar to the “Friendship” leaflet AFD030b below. Notice that the Afghanistan
flag incorrectly has the stripes in horizontal rather than vertical format, and
this could be the reason the leaflet was not disseminated.
We share food together. We regain our honor and dignity and maintain it.
Rand thought this leaflet was effective, mostly because the two hands clasping was
the same symbol previously as the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) symbol
in the late 1960s and 1970s. The Afghans related this symbol with US aid and friendship.
The United States also explained the reason for the bombings and the American
invasion over their propaganda radio. One of the messages was:
Dear Afghanistan,
A grave crime has been committed against the United States. Four of our planes
have been hijacked, several building in our economic centers destroyed and more than 6,000
innocent people, hundreds of which were Muslim were murdered by the hand of Osama bin
Laden, Al Qaida, his supporters, and the Taliban. We see these actions as acts of war. We
will not sit idly by and do nothing in these times. However, we do not wish to spill the
blood of innocent people, as did the cowardly terrorists. We do not blame the Muslims or
Afghans for these attacks. We do not hold those who follow true Islam responsible. We will
hunt down and punish these terrorists. They will pay with their blood. America is not
against the beliefs of Islam, nor is it against Muslims. More than 6 million Muslims live
and worship Allah in peace in the United States, a number equal to almost half the
population of Afghanistan. In the United States people of all religions live side by side
in peace. Muslims living in America have the same rights to worship as any other citizen
of any other religion.
Leaflet drop over Afghanistan
A 2005 Review of Psychological Operations Lessons learned from Recent Operational
Experiences points out that there was much more supervision of leaflet themes in
Afghanistan. For instance, during Operation Desert Storm there were a dozen different
threatening leaflets depicting the B-52 bomber. Heavy bombers
have always been a staple of American psychological warfare. It is surprising to see that
no such leaflet depicting a B-52 bomber was produced for Afghanistan. Higher echelons
decided that the Afghans might see it as an act of revenge for the 9/11 attack and a
threat to decimate their population and misunderstand the fact that the Coalition’s
war was only against terrorism. The national-level guidance that was approved and
disseminated the day that operations began made clear that the U.S. response in
Afghanistan would protect, not target, innocent people and that there was no cause that
would justify purposeful targeting of the civilian population. In fact, at one time the
Coalition had considered courting the Taliban as well as the general population,
attempting to drive a wedge between the two parties by portraying al Qaida as foreign
interlopers who manipulated the Taliban. However, when it became clear that the Taliban
were dedicated fundamentalists that would not surrender in any number, they became a PSYOP
target.
President Bush immediately demanded that the ruling fundamentalist Islamic
Taliban movement of Afghanistan turn over Mr. bin Laden for trial. President Bush declared
a war on terrorism and stated that they would be found and attacked regardless of where
they were hiding. The operation was originally named "Infinite Justice," but was
altered when it was discovered that Islam reserved infinite judgment for Allah. The name
was immediately changed to "Enduring Freedom." Political correctness at its
best. Iran, in its usual anti-American posture remarked that the operation should be
called “Infinite Imperialism.”
The Secretary of Defense implies that Saddam Hussein is a Foolish Man.
A week after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, President Bush said in an unscripted
moment:
This crusade, this war on terrorism, is going to take a while.
There was an immediate uproar from Muslims around the word who still thought of the
Crusade as a Christian attack on their faith. President Bush then went to great pains
to remove all traces of a religious crusade in his comments on the war on terror. However,
in 2003 Biblical sayings were placed on the Department of Defense top secret Worldwide
Intelligence Update military intelligence reports. The decision to put the biblical
quotations on the cover pages was allegedly taken by Major General Glen Shaffer, a
director for intelligence serving both Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld and the Joint Chiefs
of Staff. Some of the comments with patriotic pictures of American soldiers at war or at
prayer were:
Their arrows are sharp, all their bows are strung; their horses’ hoofs seem
like flint, their chariot wheels are like a whirlwind.
Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you
may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.
Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and your plans will succeed.
Pentagon officials were concerned that, if the cover sheets were ever leaked, they
could be interpreted as a suggestion that the war was religiously driven, a battle against
Islam. It did not help matters in 2005 when the Pentagon’s inspector general
recommended “corrective action” against Lieutenant General William G. Boykin,
the Deputy Under-Secretary of Defense for Intelligence who likened the war against Islamic
militants to a battle against Satan.
Is this a “Jesus” Gun-sight?
The story of Biblical quotations used by Americans was thought to be over but in
February 2011, it was discovered that the same sort of quotations were being placed on
some American weapons. US gun-sights were found with inscriptions with biblical references
that might lead some to believe that Americans are using “Jesus weapons” against
Muslims in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The inscriptions apparently do not break military rules on proselytizing because the
equipment is not distributed beyond the troops who are actually using them. Trijicon makes
the sights and their director of sales and marketing told Associated Press:
We don’t publicize this. It’s not something we make a big deal out of. But
yes, it’s there.
According to an American Broadcasting Corporation report, one of the citations on
the gun sights, “2COR4:6,” is an apparent reference to Second Corinthians 4:6 of
the New Testament, which reads:
For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our
hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus
Christ.
Other references include citations from the books of Revelation, Matthew and John
dealing with Jesus as “the light of the world.”
John 8:12, referred to on the gun sights as JN8:12, reads,
Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life
This need to place Biblical quotations on American military items is very disturbing
and certainly does nothing to win trust among the Muslim nations of the world.
Perhaps we should stop for a moment to discuss the Taliban (sometimes spelled
"Taleban"). The Taliban (“the Seekers”) was formed in September of
1994 in the southern Afghan province of Kandahar by a group of graduates of Pakistani
Islamic colleges on the border with Afghanistan, run by the fundamentalist Jamiat-e-Ulema.
The members were mostly Pashtuns from Kandahar in Southern Afghanistan and were led by the
religious leader Mullah Mohammad Omar. Their fighting ranks were mostly filled with former
veterans of the war against the Soviets. They fought against the government of Afghanistan
and on 27 September 1996 they captured Kabul. By June 1997, the Taliban effectively
controlled two-thirds of the country.
The Taliban applied a strict interpretation of Sharia, enforcement of which was
administered by the “Department for Promoting Virtue and Preventing Vice.”
Individuals were beaten on the streets by Taliban militia for what were deemed infractions
of Taliban rules concerning dress, hair length, and facial hair, as well as for
restriction on women being in the company of men. For an example of how PSYOP tried
to take advantage of these Taliban activities, see leaflet AFD24 below.
The bombing of Afghanistan began on October 7. Along with the bombing, the
United States Air Force also dropped food packets for the Afghan refugees. Aerial
propaganda leaflets were not dropped the first week due to high winds. The first leaflet
drop took place on October 15, coordinated with Coalition radio broadcasts. EC-130-E
Command Solo aircraft from the 193rd Special Operations Wing flying out of Harrisburg,
Pennsylvania, broadcast to the Afghan people. The modified C-130 can broadcast radio or TV
signals - AM, FM and HF. It broadcasts across the band from 45 kilohertz to 1000
megahertz.
On October 15, the United States government released illustrations of the first
two leaflets dropped on Afghanistan. It reported that a single B-52 Stratofortress bomber
had dropped 385,000 leaflets over the eastern town of Ghazni, the northwestern town of
Sheberghan, and between Sheberghan and the western city of Herat.
AFD10c
The first leaflet depicts an American soldier shaking hands with an
Afghan citizen. The photograph is in full color, the text in bright blue. The leaflet was
written in Pashto (spoken by the Afghan ethnic majority Pashtun) and Dari (a Persian
dialect spoken by the minority Tajiks). The leaflet states on the front:
The partnership of nations is here to help.
The back of the leaflet says:
The partnership of nations is here to assist the people of
Afghanistan.
2,760,000 copies of this leaflet were disseminated by M129 leaflet bombs
in the first year of the war.
The Rand monograph found this leaflet to be effective because the
Afghans were war-weary, disillusioned with the Taliban regime, and ready for change. They
hoped that the U.S. intervention would bring peace, progress, and security to Afghanistan.
AFD06
The second leaflet depicts a radio tower and two radios. Text is identical
on both sides in Pashto and Dari. The leaflet states:
Information radio.
0500-1000. 1700-2200 daily.
864, 1107, 8700 kilohertz.
The leaflet tells the Afghan finder what radio stations to dial in
order to hear the latest news from the coalition forces. Part of the PSYOP plan was to
tell the Afghan people why their country was being bombed. The radio broadcasts stress
that this is simply a war against terrorism and not against the people of Afghanistan. The
Taliban's main Kabul radio station, Voice of Sharia, ("Islamic Law"), was taken
off the air by an American cruise missile several days earlier. AFD-06 is found in both
color and black and white. There is a variation of this leaflet coded AFD-06c. 7,931,000
copies of this leaflet were disseminated by M129 leaflet bombs in the first year of the
war. These leaflets were also handed out by Tactical PSYOP teams on the ground. I am not
going to list all of these operations because it would take another article. Suffice it to
say that on one operation 32,036 copies of leaflet AFD06 were handed out in Herat.
Navy specialist prepares leaflet AFD06 into
propaganda bomb rolls aboard USS Constellation.
P.W. Singer discusses the Taliban radio station in Analysis Paper No. 5,
“American’s Response to Terrorism,” Winning the War of Words:
Information Warfare in Afghanistan:
These Taliban broadcasts continually stressed that the one rallying point in
Afghan history has been for the various tribes to join to throw out invaders, from the
Persians and the British, to most recently the Soviets. The Taliban's broadcasts painted
US demands on their country as falling in line with this long procession of outsiders
attempting to interfere in their own local matters. The dominant message was that the US
was yet another imperial power targeting Afghanistan.
There is a lot of published information about the production of these radio leaflets. Weapon
of Choice, ARSOF in Afghanistan, Charles H. Briscoe, Richard L. Kiper, James A.
Schroeder, and Kalev I Sepp, authors, Combat studies Institute Press, Fort Leavenworth, KS
2003 says:
Whether it was a leaflet offering a monetary reward, providing a radio listening
frequency, extolling the new government, or warning about land mines, the 30 million
leaflets 2nd Platoon, A Company, 3rd POB, printed were a significant contribution to the
global war on terrorism
When radio broadcasts by the Air Force EC- 130 Commando Solo aircraft became
possible, Donovan's [PSYOP squad leader] squad printed handbills that ground units could
distribute to villages. The handbills depicted a radio tower and had various frequencies
for music and news.
The New York Times stated that a leaflet with a similar message had been
dropped to explain to the Afghan people why they were being bombed. The leaflet said,
"On September 11th, the United States was the target of terrorist attacks, leaving no
choice but to seek justice for these horrible crimes."
A Good Propaganda Theme is Universal
During the Vietnam War the United States dropped propaganda
leaflets on the Viet Cong showing them happily farming or lying dead in the
jungle. Some said, "Which will you choose," others said, "Two paths." The
concept was peace or war, life, or death. We see the Soviets using the exact
same propaganda in Afghanistan. An Afghan "Freedom fighter" thinks of being
a peaceful member of the new Afghan state or being just another forgotten
skull in a pile.
Before we leave the subject of U.S. radio messages to Afghanistan we should discuss
the early history of the propaganda broadcasts. According to Richard H. Cummings,
formerly of Radio Free Europe, after the Soviet Union attacked Afghanistan in 1979,
Radio Free Europe (RFE) and Radio Liberty (RL), the American financed stations in Munich,
Germany, expanded its broadcasting from just Eastern Europe and the USSR. On 1 October
1985, the station began broadcasting to Afghanistan in Dari, one of the major languages in
Afghanistan. Radio Free Afghanistan broadcast 30-minute Dari-language programs twice
weekly. In 1986, it expanded its broadcasting to one hour daily, five days a week. A
Pashto-language broadcast was added in September 1987. The Soviet Union retreated from Afghanistan
on 15 February 1989, with an estimated loss of 15,000 troops. With the end of the Soviet
invasion, Radio Free Afghanistan broadcast its last program on 19 October 1993.
Programs to Afghanistan were resumed in December 2001 as part of the post-September
11 “War on Terror.” On 30 January 2002, RFE/RL, now located in Prague, Czech
Republic, began broadcasting to Afghanistan in the Dari and Pashto languages. Radio Free Afghanistan
(“Radio Azadi”) broadcast 12 hours a day on FM radio from Kabul, Herat,
Jalalabad, Mazar-e-Sharif, and Kandahar. The broadcasts can be heard on short wave,
medium wave, and satellite radio and also on demand via the Internet.
An Army
psychological specialist and a Marine load master watch leaflets
fall off of
a KC-130 Super Hercules over southern Afghanistan, Aug. 28, 2013.
(Sgt.
Demetrius Munnerlyn/Marine Corps)
Leaflet AFD03a
This is a very impressive leaflet and image. The front of the leaflet depicts Osama bin
Laden at the left and an American B-52 dropping bombs at the right. The text is:
There is no possibility of escape and hiding.
The back shows an Afghan valley with a flight of B-52 bombers overhead at the right;
the left shows the result of the bombing, the valley covered with smoke and destruction.
The text is:
If you resist, you will also suffer the same fate.
The top line on each side is in Dari, the bottom line in Pashtu. These leaflets may not
have been disseminated. One year after the American invasion I find no record of their
being distributed.
AFD04
The United States produced a full color leaflet that told the people of Afghanistan
that there were American Muslims, American mosques, and that true believers had the right
to practice their religion and worship their God. The leaflet is coded AFD04. The front of
the leaflet shows a mosque in the foreground with the Stars and Stripes within a map of
the United States. Muslim men and women are depicted worshipping at the right. The text
is:
Muslims in the United States worship freely.
The back of the leaflet depicts the inside of the Islamic Center of Long Island mosque
at the left, and a crescent moon and text at the right. The text is:
There are more than 7 million Muslims and 1200 mosques in the US.
CENTCOM has issued no data on when and where this leaflet was distributed. There are an
estimated seven million Muslims in America and some 1.2 billion worldwide.
Leaflet AFD11
A similar leaflet coded AFD11a depicted American Muslims at prayer and a green
crescent with the text:
Muslims live and practice in peace in America.
The back depicts a map of the United States filled with various mosques and a green
crescent. There is no text. 900,000 copies of the AFD-11a leaflet were disseminated by
M129 leaflet bombs in the first year of the war.
An October 17 report stated that leaflets had been dropped showing pictures of
food parcels and explaining how the contents should be consumed. For instance, there is a
drawing showing how a tube of peanut butter should be squeezed.
Meanwhile, the Taliban responded by telling the Afghan people that the U.S. meals
airdropped to Afghans did not meet the dietary requirements of observing Muslims.
Afghans listening to the Coalition broadcasts
Kaito Radio
That same day, it was reported that small battery-powered portable radios
were dropped to those without radios or electricity. Initially, several thousand
KAITO brand portable radios were distributed by hand. The KAITO was a 220-volt AC radio
that was battery, solar and crank (dynamo) powered. It was usable for people who lived in
central Afghanistan with no electric power. AM and FM radio was only available in cities.
In rural areas the people relied on SW radio. Cost was low for quantity purchased and the
power source was the prime requirement. The sensitivity and selectivity were poor, and
required a very strong signal to work. It was not successful in the mountainous
countryside of Afghanistan.
A local Afghan elder is excited to receive his new radio from an 8th PSYOP
Battalion member attached to the U.S. Army 4th Infantry Division in Malajat, Afghanistan.
The purpose of the mission is to gather information from the local population and to
distribute Psychological Operations products.
Under the Taliban, possession of a radio was a crime, and thus few were available.
More than 7,500 small battery-powered transistor radios were distributed by airdrop and by
tactical PSYOP teams operating with Special Forces detachments.
The Freeplay Plus Radio
A military report entitled PSYOP Radio in Afghanistan adds in part:
The US military is air-dropping Freeplay wind-up radios among the Afghan people.
Unlike the Freeplay Plus Radio we offer, which has the AM, FM and most of the short wave
spectrum, these specially designed Freeplay radios are locked on a frequency that
automatically tunes in US military broadcasts. With these radios, Afghans will know about
aid facilities in their area as well as food drops. They'll also hear messages like the
one below, assuring them of the US intentions in Afghanistan, and that we're there to help
them.
Curiously, the message seems to be the same one that we mention above dropped on a
leaflet. Part of the radio message is:
On September 11th, the United States was the target of terrorist attacks, leaving
no choice but to seek justice for these horrible crimes. We are here to take measures
against the terrorists that have rooted themselves in your country. It is not you, the
honorable people of Afghanistan, who are targeted, but those who would oppress you, seek
to bend you to their own will, and make you their slaves.
It will take the combined efforts of the international community and you to
remove these evil people from Afghanistan. Take the following action: Do not give food,
shelter, or any type of aid to the Taliban or Osama bin Laden. This will be a great help
in the effort. We have no wish to hurt you, the innocent people of Afghanistan. Stay away
from military installations, government buildings, terrorist camps, roads, factories, or
bridges. If you are near these places, then you must move away from them. Seek a safe
place, and stay well away from anything that might be a target. We do not wish to harm
you.
A local Afghan citizen reads a flyer handed to him by soldiers assigned to the 10th
Psychological Operations Battalion, during a mission to Kuchi village, Afghanistan, May
27, 2011. The purpose of the mission was to distribute radios and flyers to local
villagers, and to evaluate the needs of the locals.
There was a recommendation to use the Grundig FR220 radio. It worked well in the
mountainous terrain and was battery and dynamo powered. The 10th Mountain Division
psychological operations officer headed the purchase of 100,000 FR200 Grundig Emergency
Radios for Coalition Joint Task Force (CJTF) 180 to be delivered to Bagram, Afghanistan,
between November 2003 and February 2004. Over 30,000 Grundig radios had been distributed
by the time he left Afghanistan in April 2004. In addition, before leaving
Afghanistan he provided the Multi-National Corps - Iraq (MNC-I) Information Operations
(IO) Cell with instructions for purchasing Grundig Radios for distribution in Iraq.
The CJTF-76 (formerly CJTF-180) IO Cell has been in talks with the Eton Corporation to
purchase an additional 150,000 Grundig radios.
For a while the Americans dropped the WR-004 "World
Receiver" AM, FM and short wave radio produced by the STL Group in the Netherlands
under the brand name "Super Tech." They were dropped with the batteries
already in the radio. The inability of the Afghans to replace the batteries was a
liability. The British apparently dropped crank-powered radios at the same time.
Broadcasts that same day told the people where to find the yellow cartons containing food
dropped by American aircraft.
Passing out radios
WorldSpace WSSR-11Digital Receiver
During a spring of 2004 visit to Fort Bragg I was able to confirm that the US
Army did indeed distribute radios to the people of Afghanistan so that they could hear the
latest news from the Coalition powers. I also learned that the radios now being
disseminated are Worldspace model WSSR-11Digital receivers. They are
battery-powered and allow the listener to access over 40 satellite radio services from
around the world. Each radio comes with a directional line-of sight antenna. The service
uses three satellites, AmeriStar, AfriStar, and Asia Star. These new radios
were not without problems. They were given to Afghans selected as "key
communicators." The problem was a lack of Pashto or Dari radio broadcasts on the
satellites. The best broadcasts were still coming from the British Broadcasting
Corporation, the Voice of America, or the local PSYOP radio stations. Many Afghans were
happier with the cheaper Kaito radio because they could get all the local stations in
their own language.
If I may jump ahead for a moment, NATO distributed more than 700,000 radios in the
first half of 2006. The NATO Consultation, Command and Control Agency announced that
eligible firms were invited to provide bids on a Psychological Operations Radio Network
for the International Security Assistance Force. Some members within the PSYOP community
were shocked to see the system called a “PSYOP Radio Network.” That seems to
defeat the purpose of using the radio for truthful and unbiased news. It is important to
remember the availability of radio stations in Afghanistan. The US military broadcasts on
short wave, the U.S. Embassy uses 23 host nation stations, and of course there is the
British Broadcasting Corporation and the Voice of America. The announced goal of the
PSYOPS network was to create a supporting atmosphere among the Afghan leadership and
population in support of the objectives of the ISAF mission. The new radio network would
receive a central program from Kabul and re-broadcast it locally to Provincial
Reconstruction Team (PRT) regions. PSYOPS transmitters located at the PRT's would extend
the PSYOPS radio network to the southern and eastern region of Afghanistan. Capability
would be operational within the commercial FM band from 87.5 to 107.0 MHz.
The Department of Defense says about satellite radio in a May 2000 report: The
Creation and Dissemination of All Forms of Information in Support of Psychological
Operations (PSYOP) in Time of Military Conflict
The WorldSpace system is fully digital and transmits a number of stations
simultaneously in the L-band. Since the WorldSpace system is fully digital, it will convey
data in addition to the audio streams. Satellite TV and radio poses two distinct problems
for U.S. PSYOP. A narrow, technical problem is that U.S. forces have no available means to
disseminate their PSYOP content to households that rely upon satellite services. In
particular, the Commando Solo aircraft cannot provide this function for the variety
reasons. First, the media encodings are digital, and sometimes proprietary, and often
encrypted. Thus, they cannot be serviced by Commando Solo's current transmission suite.
Second, the receivers employ satellite dishes pointed to specific slots in geosynchronous
orbits. It will not be easy for a platform such as Commando Solo to transmit in such a way
that it can be received in these dishes. Third, the satellite systems operate on a variety
of bands (L, C, Ku) not currently supported by Commando Solo. A much wider problem,
however, is that the PSYOP message now needs to compete against a very rich entertainment
menu. As a result, it will become increasingly difficult for the PSYOP community to
acquire "mindshare" in its target audiences.
On the other hand, as satellite systems become highly subscribed in one or more
regions of the world, they offer an appealing medium for PSYOP dissemination since a
single system generally offers full continental coverage at relatively modest cost. The
insertions of PSYOP "commercials" and "specials" into existing,
branded channels could prove a highly effective, and cost-effective, means for
disseminating PSYOP content. Here Department of Defense might wish to become an
"anchor tenant" within new systems in order to ensure that such channels exist
and are available for Department of Defense use.
The Special Operations System B (SOMS B) ground-based PSYOP radio in Afghanistan.
The DRASH tents attached to the vehicles are the operational areas for the system
set up in Bagram.
Reachback, support near real time video, audio and data over the ethernet
from Fort Bragg to a SOMS-B site at Bagram, Afghanistan provided through JITI and DVDS
transmission.
Elements of the 4th PSYOP Group were busy setting up radio stations in Afghanistan.
One of the radio specialists from Ft. Bragg told me:
The Special Operations System B (SOMS B) was the first ground-based PSYOP asset in Afghanistan.
There was a SOMS B in Bagram and one in Kandahar . Initially broadcasting was
done on AM and FM. Eventually, all broadcasting was migrated to shortwave (SW). The
three short wave radio frequencies are 9325, 9345 and 9365 kHz.The stations broadcast from
0030 to 1830 with the heading in Pashto “Da Sola Radyo day,” and in Dari
“Inja Solh-e Radyoe”, (“You are listening to Peace Radio.”).
Soldiers erect the antenna of the Special Operations Media System-Broadcast (SOMS-B)
capable of providing local radio and television support including editing of radio and
audiovisual products
The antenna field was very crowded in the beginning because all three (AM, FM,
and SW) antennas had been set up in the same small area. The AM antenna was a
discone antenna supported by four masts, which were only 50 feet off the ground at the
highest point.
The “Voice of Peace” Radio station building in Jabal os
Saraj Afghanistan
The sign above the door reads “VOICE of PEACE.”
PSYOP soldiers had visited the Voice of Peace FM broadcast station in Jabal os
Saraj a couple of times to try and improve the coverage of this station, which was
supporting US efforts. The station was housed in a donated building up on the side
of a tall hill. The transmitter was a 500 Watt Japanese made solid-state system that
had some “repairs” done by the local welder. The civilian tech advisors
working with the soldiers were able to improve the “repairs” and determine that
the existing omni-directional antenna was only rated for 200 Watts, limiting the
system. Replacement antennas were acquired which provided a directional coverage and
increased effective radiated power to extend their coverage area.
PSYOP Soldiers at Fort Bragg, NC use deployable video editing
equipment to process raw footage taken by organic electronic news gathering kits in
Afghanistan
The requirements of the operation are such that the SW broadcasting is now done
from three locations in Afghanistan. Each location has its own SW transmitter as the
SOMS B systems have all returned to FT Bragg. The audio products are edited using a
Deployable Audio Production System (DAPS) designed for PSYOP use by the civilian technical
support in the Media Production Center, FT Bragg. Video products are edited using
the Deployable Non-Linear Editor (DNLE) which was developed by the same resource.
A SOMS-B media broadcast site operating at Kandahar, Afghanistan
Inside the video production and editing tent of the SOMS-B complex at
Kandahar, Afghanistan during a broadcast in support of Operation Enduring Freedom
The SOMS-B system is discussed in depth by Scott R. Gourley in a Special
Operations Technology Online Archives article.
The SOMS-B system consists of two primary subsystems: the Mobile Radio Broadcast
System (MRBS) and Mobile Television Broadcast System (MTBS). Each of these subsystems
consists of a primary HMMWV, a cargo HMMWV, and a mission trailer carrying a 33 kW
generator, environmental control unit, and Deployable Rapid Assembly Shelter (DRASH) tent
system. The two subsystems can be deployed together or separately.
Deployable editing equipment used in conjunction with the SOMS-B
The broad objectives of PSYOP are best served by modern
sophisticated systems such as the deployable editing equipment being used in conjunction
with the SOMS-B.
The SOMS-B provides an AM, FM, television and short wave radio broadcast capability.
Except for the very long range short wave system, the other systems have rather short
ranges. It’s normally deployed around populated centers where you want to target that
audience. You can have all of those means broadcasting. The shortest range system is the
television system and it goes up to long range for the short wave. You can position SOMS-B
in a strategic location where you can target the local populace with the shorter-range
systems—television, and FM—then go further out with AM and cover even larger
parts of the countryside with short wave. You can broadcast different programs on each one
of them or you can broadcast the same message on all the radios.
That capability goes hand in hand with the other systems. If you’re putting out
the word with loudspeakers and with paper products you can also put the word out via the
radio. Or you can put out information on which frequency to listen to on your own radio to
get the message that’s coming from the SOMS-B broadcast system. And that is one of
the things that we’ve done quite extensively in areas where there isn’t any
infrastructure: the tactical units will go out with paper products and recorded messages
that say, “Tune in to such and such on your dial for more information.” And that
information will be the SOMS-B broadcast in that area.
Interim President Karzai had told the Americans very early that their broadcasts were
found wanting. ARSOF in Afghanistan notes:
The Pashtun leader knew that radio broadcasts in various dialects would have a greater
effect than leaflets. He had listened to the programs broadcast by the Air Force EC- 130
Commando Solo aircraft and told MAJ Barstow that the music was very effective, but the BBC
and VOA had better-quality programs. Karzai urged Barstow [Major, C Company, 9th
Psychological Operations Battalion] to make the messages more forceful. The people needed
to be told what they should do about the Taliban and al-Qaida who were still in their
midst.
The radio specialists among the American psychological operations teams
kept working on the problem and trying to make their product better and more palatable to
the Afghans. A number of articles in the Newspaper Stars and Stripes seem to
indicate that their dedication to excellence has paid off. The issue of 10 April 2002
discusses the initial PSYOP radio station.
EC-130 Commando Solo
Beginning in November 2001, a modified C-130 aircraft dubbed Commando Solo began
blasting U.S. messages and local music on airwaves across Afghanistan.
U.S. planes also dropped tons of leaflets to market the
informational radio programming to the Afghans. Tactical PSYOPS teams and nongovernmental
organizations distributed nearly 5,000 radios to civilians across the country. But early
in March, the military withdrew Commando Solo from the theater to refit for its next
mission.
Inside a PSYOP mobile radio studio
On March 8, PSYOPS soldiers in Bagram and Kandahar went on the air. They
literally took over their mission on the same frequencies using the Special Operations
Media System. The eight-man team now broadcasts round the clock. The Afghan programming,
simultaneously broadcast on both AM and short wave is presented in the country’s
predominant languages, Dari and Pashto.
Using hour long formats like commercial stations, news and information is broken
up by blocks of Afghan music. And of course, the news is all good. Two current messages
include the reopening of Kabul University and story of two bicyclists in Kandahar training
for the 2004 Olympics. They also air public service announcements about things such as the
need for identification cards and polio vaccinations. What locals really like is the
music, and they tell the team how the Taliban kept most music on the forbidden list. From
Bagram, PSYOPS radio extends about 30 miles, and begins breaking up at the outskirts of Kabul.
The short wave broadcast can reach the entire country depending on weather conditions.
U.S. soldier provides a new radio to a local youth
The issue of 27 June 2002 talks about Radio Peace and American support for
the local station and says in part:
Tucked into a small stone compound about 50 miles north of Kabul, the fledgling
station is billed as the only independent radio broadcast in Afghanistan. It first hit the
airwaves on 8 October 2001 just a day after American air strikes began in the country.
Radio is the most effective means of distributing information in a country such as Afghanistan,
which has little infrastructure. Literacy is low, so radio rules. The equipment was
smuggled into Northern Alliance-held territory through Tajikistan, donated by Droit de
Parole, a French organization which also sponsored independent radio stations in Bosnia.
The airwaves were shared with Commando Solo, a U.S. Air Force EC-130 that broadcasted
music and information for 10 hours a day. The transmissions from Commando Solo ceased on
March 8, but similar broadcasts still are being sent across the same frequencies from U.S.
military stations based at Bagram and Kandahar.
By late 2004, Peace Radio, channel 9.365 on short wave radio, entertained and
informed residents of Paktika province with themes that benefited both coalition forces
and Afghan civilians. Transmitting from Forward Operating Base Orgun-E, Peace Radio was
run by three Soldiers from the U.S. Army Reserve. The broadcasts have also been heard
on 9345 kHz and 6700 kHz.
A member of the 8th Psychological Operations Battalion,
shows some of the Afghan music CDs that
the battalion's radio station from Kandahar Airfield.
The Stars and Stripes issue of 31 July 2002 points out that the 8th
Psychological Operations Battalion is broadcasting Afghan music from the battalion's radio
station at Kandahar Airfield. They regularly broadcast the music of Naghma & Mangal,
Khaliq Aziz and Ahmed Zahir, some of hottest pop artists and musicians in Afghanistan.
Some of the article says:
When the Taliban ruled, radios were forbidden. However, some people hid them in
their house and huddled around at night to listen to the BBC or Pakistan programming.
Soldiers with the 8th Psychological Operation Battalion operate the mobile 5,000-watt
radio station — which has a range of about 20 miles — from a small group of
tents. Ninety-percent of the programming is pure Afghan music, including some dance,
contemporary and folk music. None is American. Each hour, the Army broadcasts three
informational spots. The messages tell listeners such things as what to do if they come
across unexploded ordnance, news about the interim government and assurances that U.S.
troops are not an occupying force.
The Police give Radios to the People
Afghan National Police of Kandahar City prepare to pass out radios, leaflets, and
stickers. The radios are for the people to listen to radio stations promoting the things
that police officers are doing for the Afghans. The leaflets and stickers featured the
police and were for the children.
A former PSYOP detachment sergeant in Kandahar and later team chief in Geresk mentioned
the distribution of the radios. He said:
The radios were given to all returning Hajjis, people who went on the Hajj to Mecca.
This was a good way to get the radios out since each district was allotted a certain
number of people to go on the Hajj. When they returned to their remote areas with the
radio, it gave the radios a status symbol quality, since going on the Hajj is such a big
thing. Then we would give radios to schools, key communicators and random people in our
travels. We used them as an inducement to work with us. It was a good benefit for
the people and everyone wanted more than we could ever give out. People who gave us
directions along the road would frequently be rewarded with a radio.
ARSOF in Afghanistan adds:
PSYOP units working in the field distributed small transistor radios countrywide
because the Taliban had made it a crime to possess a radio and few were available.
Dawkins [an American PSYOP trooper] met an Afghan woman who had one of the
airdropped American transistor radios. She told him that it was the first radio she had
heard in seven years. Dawkins made it a point to request the delivery of more transistor
radios.
Broadcast media proved very effective during the PSYOP campaign. More than 7,500
small battery-powered transistor radios were distributed both by airdrop and by TPTs with
Special Forces ODAS. Simple leaflets told the Afghan people which numbered channels to
tune to for American PSYOP-produced programs.
On October 18, the U.S. Government released several radio broadcast texts to
the public. Some of the messages were as follows, "Attention Taliban! You are
condemned. Did you know that? The instant the terrorists you support took over our planes,
you sentenced yourselves to death…our helicopters will rain death down upon your
camps before you detect them on your radar. Our bombs are so accurate we can drop them
through your windows…you have only one choice, surrender now and we will give you a
second chance. We will let you live." In order to entice the Afghans to listen to the
radio, about three-quarters of all broadcasts consist of music. The Taliban had condemned
music.
On the same day, the American Forces Information Service reported two leaflet
drops over northeastern Afghanistan exhorting the people to abandon, or to fight the
Taliban and al-Qaida forces. The leaflet is believed to read, "Do you enjoy being
ruled by the Taliban? Are you proud to live a life of fear? Are you happy to see the place
your family has owned for generations a terrorist training site?"
Leaflet AFD15
This leaflet depicts an Afghan family walking on a highway while in the distance a
Coalition convoy can be seen approaching. The picture is covered by a large red
“X” which visually states that this is an unsafe practice. The title of the
leaflet is “Beware of vehicles.” On the back of the leaflet the family stands
safely by the side of the road as the convoy passes. I have no record of this leaflet
being disseminated. A similar leaflet was dropped in Somalia where American troops warned
the locals:
Our forces are here to defend the people helping you Do not get involved in any
manner. Do not block the roads! Force will be used to protect the convoys.
On October 19, the U.S. Government broadcast warnings of an impending ground
attack, "Attention! People of Afghanistan. United States forces will be moving
through your area. We are here for Osama bin Laden, al-Qaida, and those who protect them.
Please, for your own safety, stay off bridges and roadways and do not interfere with our
troops or military operations. If you do this you will not be harmed."
At the same time, it was reported that leaflets were also dropped over the
Taliban stronghold of Kandahar. The leaflets warned the people to avoid potential military
targets and stay in their homes. The leaflet text is:
We have no wish to hurt you, the innocent people of Afghanistan. Stay away from
military installations, government buildings, terrorist camps, roads, factories or
bridges. If you are near these places, then you must move away from them. Seek a safe
place, and stay well away from anything that might be a target.
Ranger Calling Card Leaflet "Freedom Endures"
At 1845 (Zulu Time) on 19 October, 199 elite American Rangers and four PSYOP soldiers
night-assaulted Objective Rhino on Vengeance Drop Zone. This was a remote Desert Landing
Strip approximately 105 miles Southwest of Kandahar. The site had already been hit with
2,000-pound bombs by a B-2 Stealth bomber and strafed by AC-130 Spectre gunships. This was
the first Ranger combat drop since Operation Just Cause in Panama. The mission was to gain
intelligence about the objective's airstrip and environs to determine its value as a
future base. A week later, U.S. Marines established Camp Rhino at that site. Kandahar was
the home of the Taliban spiritual leader, Mullah Omar.
Mullah Omar was known to use a PSYOP trick or two. One is mentioned in the Commander’s
Handbook for Strategic Communication and Communication Strategy, Version 3.0, US
Joint Forces Command Joint Warfighting Center, 24 June 2010:
Taliban leader Mullah Omar received widespread media coverage when, in 1996, he
took Mohammed’s shroud out of storage in the shrine of Kharka Sharif in Kandahar, and
wore it in a public rally, as a way to identify himself with the Prophet, and give himself
legitimacy.
The raid was a warning that America could strike when and where it chose, even at the
center of the Taliban spiritual strength. The American troops carried leaflets featuring a
photograph of New York City firemen raising the American flag over the ruins of the World
Trade Center, with the text "Freedom Endures" in English on one side and Pashto
on the other.
During the successful raid the Rangers gathered intelligence and killed 25 enemy
troops.
Ranger Calling Card Leaflet on Rucksack
Although CENTCOM never released an image of the leaflet it did appear on a
Discovery Channel TV documentary entitled "Commando Solo Afghan Skies" The
leaflet was attached to a soldier’s rucksack and was identified as a "Calling
Card" in the documentary. This image is explained by a comment from one of the
Rangers who took part in the mission:
The Fireman leaflets were actually attached to the kit bags that we left behind on
the drop zone for the locals to police up. To the best of my knowledge every Ranger that
was on that jump had one. The size was approximately 5 x 8 inches. According to the battle
damage assessment after the operation the locals did pick up the bags and clean up the
area. No enemy forces got near us that night. We stuffed our chutes into kit bags so that
follow-on aircraft could land without sucking up chutes into the engine intakes.
There is some question as to the legality of using the image on the leaflet. The
original “Flag Raising at Ground Zero” photograph was taken by Thomas E.
Franklin and published in The Record of Bergen County, New Jersey. I have a large
"legal" print of this photograph on my living room wall. However, the Army never
attributed the photographer on the PSYOP leaflet. I suspect that Tom Franklin was rather
proud when he heard about this operation, but unless they requested permission in advance,
this would seem to be a PSYOP mistake.
I was surprised to find the leaflet mentioned in the 2005 book One Bullet Away
– the Making of a Marine Officer, by Nathaniel Fick, Houghton Mifflin Co., Boston,
MA. Young Second Lieutenant Fick tells of landing at Camp Rhino well after the
battle. His weapons platoon was part of the perimeter defense. As he walked up a small
hill to get a better look at the camp he notices a small piece of paper stuck against a
desert bush. He picks up the paper and says that it was note paper, about the size of a
“thank you” card. It depicted the three firemen raising the flag at the World
Trade center and had the words, “Freedom Endures” in both English and Pashto. It
was a calling card left by Task Force Sword. Later, as his platoon leaves the site on foot
carrying all their weapons and ammo he passes a truck that was destroyed in an ambush. He
leaves the leaflet on the truck as a warning to the Taliban.
The mission is explored in greater detail in the book Weapon of Choice
- ARSOF in Afghanistan. It
tells of Tactical PSYOP Detachment (TPD) 940, B Company, 9th Psychological Operations
Battalion (POB) training and rehearsing with the Rangers for five days prior to the
operation against the objective they called "Rhino." Four of the Psywarriors
jumped from MC-130 Combat Talon aircraft into combat with the Rangers. Some of the text
is:
On 12
September 2001, TPD 940 began target analysis for Afghanistan. Especially
the Taliban, the Afghan populace, and the al-Qaida network. They were then
sent to the 75th Ranger Regiment on 18 September carrying loudspeaker
scripts, that included introduction of Coalition forces, surrender appeals,
and civilian noninterference warnings. Eventually, the loudspeaker messages
were narrowed down to just four.
TPD 940
conducted final planning, underwent several inspections, and participated in
detailed rehearsals of actions at the objective. Inspections included
personnel, weapons, ammunition, and combat equipment as well as PSYOP
product scripts and mini-disk copies of the scripts in Urdu, Pashto, and
Arabic that would be used during the operation. The 6th Psychological
Operations Battalion (Airborne) Product Development Detachment had also
prepared leaflets that were to be left on the objective. They were to
communicate America's resolve to stop terrorism and let the enemy know that
it had been there.
The four PSYOP specialists split up into two Tactical PSYOP Teams, TPT 941 and
TPT 943. One team began broadcasting from a loudspeaker:
It told anyone in the area that U.S. forces were present and that they needed to
exit the buildings, stay away from the airfield, drop any weapons, and get down on the
ground if they wanted to survive. We played the message for about 5 minutes. The broadcast
resounded across the valley floor into the compound. There was no doubt that, anyone in
the area had fair warning. This done, we bounded forward to join the rest of the Ranger
element at building #1, secured a room, and awaited orders.
We were told to assist in searching the building for any intelligence and weapons,
and to be watchful for booby traps. We found a Soviet RPK machine gun with a belt of ammo
in the feed tray, expended shell casings, belt links on the ground, a [rocket-propelled
grenade] (RPG) launcher with 10 to 12 rounds nearby, and two AK-47 assault rifles. The
rooms had articles of clothing strewn about, mattresses and bedding, and other personal
effects. After collecting the weapons, we distributed about 400 leaflets in and around the
building.
Since we mention TPTs above, perhaps I should take a moment to discuss the U.S. Army
PSYOP Organization. The reader should understand that the organization changes over time
as new doctrine and equipment is authorized and fielded. At the time this article was
written the system was the following:
The 4th PSYOP Group consists of six active Duty PSYOP battalions:
1st PSYOP Battalion – Southern Command
3rd PSYOP Battalion – Dissemination
5th PSYOP Battalion – Pacific Command
6th PSYOP Battalion – European Command
8th PSYOP Battalion – Central Command
9th PSYOP Battalion – Tactical
There were two Army Reserve PSYOP Groups in 2001. The 2nd PSYOP Group consists of four PSYOP
battalions and 15 PSYOP companies. The 7th PSYOP Group consists of four PSYOP battalions
and 13 PSYOP companies.
In 2021, the
Center of Military History, United States Army, Washington, D.C., published
a two-book set on the war in Afghanistan titled Modern War in an Ancient
Land: The United States Army in Afghanistan. It mentioned very little
about PSYOP, but did mention the strain the war put on Reserve PSYOP units:
The reserve component was
able to fill the ranks with volunteers in the short term, but by 2004 the
lack of available personnel made many units nondeployable. This was most
pronounced in the psychological operations and civil affairs forces that
were slated to deploy. At the end of 2004, close to 50 percent of Army
Reserve personnel (almost 100,000) had been mobilized since 11 September
2001, including 15,000 who had been mobilized twice and 2,000 mobilized
three or more times. Within a few months, only 31,000 of 205,000 Army
Reserve soldiers were eligible for mobilization under the policy of
twenty-four-month cumulative mobilization without a volunteer statement.
Each PSYOP Battalion can support a corps. Within the PSYOP battalions are Tactical
PSYOP Companies (TPC), each of which can support a division. The Companies are made up of
Tactical PSYOP Detachments (TPD), each of which can support a brigade. The team is
idyllically made up of a Detachment Commander (CPT), Detachment NCOIC (SSG) and two
PSYOP specialists (SPC) equipped with two M1025 High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled
Vehicles (HMMWVs) and both an AEM450/900 (1000-1800 meters range) vehicle loudspeaker and
LSB-40B (700-1000 meters range) dismounted loudspeaker. The family of loudspeaker systems
incorporates the latest advances in portable audio technology. Along with controls for
audio source and adjustable output levels, the system contains a digital voice recorder
function to provide three minutes of audio recording capabilities. The system can
broadcast live or prerecorded messages from a cassette player, minidisk, internal digital
voice recorder or wireless microphone. It also can support new commercial devices, like
MP3 players. The highest power version, with even greater range, is mounted on the Black
Hawk helicopter. The maritime version of the loudspeaker system is mounted on the special
operations Mark V patrol craft where it can be used for detaining or instructing
suspicious watercraft.
The detachments can be broken up into Tactical PSYOP Teams (TPT), each of which can
support a battalion. The team is idyllically made up of a team leader (SSG), Assistant
team leader (SGT) and a PSYOP specialist (SPC) equipped with two HMMWVs and both a vehicle
and dismounted loudspeaker.
Lorne R. Segerstrom wrote the thesis Winning the Soft War: The Employment
of Tactical PSYOP Teams in Combat Operations in 2012 for a Master of
Military Art and Science at the Command and General Staff College. He
described a standard TPT:
A TPT is a rather small element consisting of a team leader who is a Staff
Sergeant, a Psychological Operations Sergeant who is a Sergeant, and a
Psychological Operations Specialist, who is a Specialist. Locally hired
interpreters normally augment teams. TPTs in conventional operations
traditionally support battalions and in non- conventional operations support
special operations elements.
In a Special Operations Technology Online Archives article written by Scott
R. Gourley, print capabilities are discussed. He says that the Deployable Print Production
Center (DPPC) is configured inside an S-250 shelter carried on a HMMWV. The rapidly
deployable system allows for local production of leaflets, flyers, newsletters and other
information products in forward areas. One graphics artist/illustrator and one printer
operate a hardware suite featuring dual Pentium Pro 200 MHz processors, 128 MB of RAM, a
scanner, a 600 dpi color laser printer, a Risograph high speed digital duplicator, and an
electronic paper cutter. The system is capable of producing up to 93,000 single-color
leaflets in 24 hours.
The Modular Print System (MPS) represents the “next step up” in print
products. It has heavier Heidelburg presses in it that can produce larger quantity print
products at much higher quality. It is used for leaflets that need to be fancier with
multiple colors.
The MPS contains three modules: A, B, and C. Module A contains printing equipment
that is no longer used. Module B consists of two expandable shelters, each containing Heidelberg
offset presses that can print two colors at one time or one color, front and back. Module
C is an expandable shelter that contains a large paper cutter. These shelters also contain
a press plate maker and a small light table. Modules B and C both contain limited paper
storage space when expanded. The MPS requires a 26-Soldier team for 24-hour operations.
Setup of the MPS with 26 Soldiers requires 6 hours.
The Sunday Times of October 21 stated that what appeared to be genuine
100-afghanis banknotes had been overprinted and airdropped with the message "Our
goals will be achieved, if not willingly, then by overwhelming force."
AFD24
On October 23, the Taliban showed that the leaflets and radio messages were having a
result. A senior militia official announced from Kabul that the Afghan people in the
eastern city of Jalalabad were burning the propaganda leaflets and radios being dropped by
U.S. planes to turn the population against the Taliban. The leaflets were also reportedly
dropped on the western neighborhoods of Kabul. Some Afghans said that they were afraid to
pick up the leaflets and risk punishment by the Taliban.
The leaflet dropped on Jalalabad shows al-Qaida terrorists at the left and right
targeted by a sniper's crosshairs in red. Text at the center in Pashto and Dari read:
Drive out the foreign terrorists.
The Taliban is made up of non-Afghans, particularly Pakistanis. It is believed that the
Afghans fear and dislike them, and thus the leaflet tries to drive a wedge between the two
groups.
The back of the leaflet shows a member of the Taliban religious police whipping
a woman in a burqa at the left. Text at the right reads:
Is this the future you want for your women and children?
The Religious Police will whip women on the street that they feel are not dressing in
accordance with a strict interpretation of the Koran. It may be that this leaflet was not
effective because many Afghans questioned about the image on the leaflet believed that the
female had probably broken some religious law to deserve a beating. It seems to be a case
of the United States believing that what was important in its culture would also be
important in Afghan culture. This leaflet is also found coded AFD024b. 5,380,000 copies of
the AFD-024b leaflet were disseminated by M129 leaflet bombs in the first year of the war.
The American propaganda radio reinforced the “divide and conquer” message
to separate the Taliban from the Afghan people:
Do you enjoy being ruled by the Taliban? Are you proud to live a life of fear?
Are you happy to see the place your family has owned for generations a terrorist training
site? Are you proud to live under a government that harbors terrorists? Are you proud to
live in a nation ruled by extreme fundamentalists?
The Taliban have robbed your country of your heritage. They have destroyed your
national monuments, and cultural artifacts. They rule by force, violence, and fear. They
insist that their form of Islam is the one and only form, the true form, the divine form.
They see themselves as religious experts. They seek to rob you and your nation of its
past. That which has brought you together as a nation over the past thousands of years is
being slowly torn apart. They destroy your national treasures. They also harbor
terrorists.
Leaflet AFD16
This leaflet has two drawings on the front and two on the back showing Afghans how to
approach the food rations dropped on them by Coalition helicopters. The two pictures on
the front depict the crate of rations (marked “C”) falling by parachute and
landing on the ground. The two pictures on the back depict an Afghan father and son seeing
the crate on the ground, and the father opening it to display the various foodstuffs.
There is no text on this leaflet and I have no record that it was disseminated. Notice
that in Leaflet 16g below the lesson is presented in a better way and the packets are in
their official yellow color with the printed title “HDR.” In Somalia starving
people rushed under the parachuted food and some were crushed. As a result, a similar
leaflet was dropped by American aircraft in Bosnia which warned:
Danger! For everyone's safety, let humanitarian aid land before
approaching.
AFD16G
On October 29, the U.S. Government released another leaflet image. This leaflet had
four cartoons in full color. The first shows an American aircraft dropping humanitarian
daily rations (HDR) food packets. The second shows an Afghan picking up one of the
packets. When turned over, the leaflet shows the Afghan tearing open the packet. The word
"Halal" is at the upper right. This term shows that the food was prepared in
accordance with the Koran. The final illustration shows the Afghan sitting with his entire
family and enjoying the feast sent by the Americans. The leaflet is clearly designed for
illiterate Afghans and shows them what to do with the yellow packets found on the ground.
This leaflet is found with and without the code AFD16g.
1,070,000 copies of this leaflet were disseminated by M129 leaflet bombs in the first
year of the war.
There seems to be a number of variations of this same leaflet with slight changes.
In one I noticed that the leaflet depicts the entire food crate dropping in the first
cartoon box.
A New Color for the Food Packet
There was a problem when the United States realized that the color of the food
packets and the cluster bomblets were both yellow and children might pick up the
explosive. In order to preserve lives, the humanitarian daily ration (HDR) color was
changed. In the picture above, we show an exhibit from the JFK Special Warfare Museum at
Ft. Bragg where the new orange-colored packet was displayed, along with a poster, leaflets
and the PSYOP radio given to the Afghans.
Another problem with food is mentioned Dr. Daniel L. Haulman in an article titled
“USAF Psychological Operations, 1990-2003.”
During Operation Enduring Freedom, USAF C-17s dropped thousands of food packages
over Afghanistan with printed messages stating, “This is a food gift from the people
of the United States of America.” Unfortunately, they were printed in English,
Spanish, and French, none of which the average Afghan could understand. The packages had
been prepared without reference to where they would be delivered.
In Bosnia there were deaths when hungry people rushed into the drop zones and were
crushed by the falling food crates. The United States warned the people of Somalia when
they dropped food there, and again in Afghanistan. The American radio told the Afghans:
Attention, people of Afghanistan! Aid is being dropped by plane at a very high
altitude using large parachutes. These parachutes slow their descent. Despite the
parachutes, the bundles will still fall very fast. These bundles will drift and shift
directions due to wind. These bundles may appear small, but they are in fact very large
and heavy. Do not stand directly below them. Let the bundles land and settle before you
approach them. If you follow these instructions you will not be injured. The bundles are
filled with food, water, and medical supplies. The bundles will not contain any military
related supplies or equipment. These have been given to you by the United States in an
effort to show our support for the fair people of Afghanistan. The United States does not
want you, the innocent people of Afghanistan, to suffer for the deeds of Al Qaida and its
leader Osama bin laden. That is why the United States has prepared and delivered these aid
bundles.