Afghans receive leaflets, broadcasts denouncing Taliban

WASHINGTON -- America is battling terrorism with messages as well as might -- dropping leaflets and filling radio airwaves with words urging Afghans to shun the ruling Taliban and back the war on terrorism.

The Pentagon is saying little about how U.S. forces are trying to fill the eyes and ears of the Afghans with pro-American words, but the goal is clear: sway the minds of the people to help weaken the Taliban's hold on the nation.

"For the people supporting the Taliban or the terrorists, it will be a real clear message: 'You're on the wrong side and you'd better get on the right side or there's the devil to pay,"' said Chad Spawr, a former psychological operations soldier in Vietnam.

The effort involves information soldiers from the 4th Psychological Operations Group at Fort Bragg, N.C., and the 193rd Special Operations Wing of the Pennsylvania Air National Guard, a division of the U.S. Air Force's Special Operations Command.

Dropped by planes

The psy-ops soldiers have planes to scatter leaflets, mobile print shops that can be dropped by parachute and loudspeaker systems to blare messages. The soldiers use local languages to reach people on the ground. Their motto: "Persuade, Change and Influence."

"You pour the leaflets out a chute so what you have is a trail of paper coming out of the back end of an aircraft," Spawr said. "Generally, they're a little bigger than a dollar bill. Usually they're black-and-white with varying messages."

The Defense Department has not yet released any copies of the leaflets being dispersed but has confirmed the drops.

Spawr said they will likely explain the U.S.-led bombing and urge people to support the allied forces or the northern alliance of fighters trying to wrest control of Afghanistan from the Taliban. They might also direct citizens to food or shelter or try to undermine Osama bin Laden, the Saudi exile U.S. leaders say is the prime suspect in the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

White House press secretary Ari Fleischer said Monday that the United States would use all forms of communication, including the Voice of America radio network, to reach citizens in the region.

"We do have broadcasting capabilities to get messages to the people," he said, adding that those people need information from a source other than a "repressive Taliban regime."

VOA has expanded broadcasts in five languages that are spoken in Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Iran and 21 countries in the Middle East and north Africa. The agency says it provides unbiased news, but takes its editorial cues from a board of governors, on which the State Department has a seat.

Last week, Taliban Information Minister Qatradullah Jamal accused Western broadcasters, including the VOA, and the British Broadcasting Corp. of waging a propaganda war against the Afghan leadership. "Every night in their Pashtu and Dari service broadcasts they are talking about different options to the Taliban," he said.

Government criticism

Voice of America was recently criticized by the U.S. government, too. Ignoring State Department objections, VOA aired a news report that included part of an interview with the leader of Afghanistan's Taliban militia. The voice of the Taliban should not be broadcast over facilities backed by U.S. taxpayers, State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said.

The psychological war also is being waged with more than 37,000 pounds of food in packets designed to flutter to the ground to avoid injuries.

The yellow plastic pouches, about the size and weight of hardcover books, are filled with peanut butter, strawberry jam, crackers and beans with tomato sauce.

They have a picture of a person eating from the pouch, a stencil of Old Glory and the greeting: "This food is a gift from the United States of America." The greeting is in English since the Defense Department stockpiles the pouches for humanitarian relief anywhere in the world.

Also in the air are members of the 193rd Special Operations Wing, who are flying EC-130 Commando Solo aircraft and cargo planes, filling the airwaves with pro-American messages.

Retired Maj. Gen. Robert Harris of Palmyra, Pa., who has two sons currently on a mission to the region, recalls the unit's work during the Gulf War. The broadcasts urged the Iraqis to lay down their arms and surrender, he said.

"Sometimes the broadcast would say things like, 'Look, the B-52s are scheduled here in an hour and 15 minutes. Why don't you give up, surrender, come out from wherever you are and we'll take care of you?"' Harris said.