Clandestine Radio Watch 086 Extra
--------------xxxxxxxxxx CRW 086 EXTRA xxxxxxxxxx--------------
CLANDESTINE RADIO WATCH Afghanistan Special
October 31, 2001
Clandestine Radio Watch (CRW) is a biweekly summary which centrali-
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Next issue - CRW 087 : November 10, 2001
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CRW is the newsletter for ClandestineRadio.com, the largest web-
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------------xxxxxxxxxx Breaking News xxxxxxxxxx----------------
AFGHANISTAN : Afghan Taliban mouthpiece resumes broadcasts
AFGHANISTAN : Northern Alliance to launch "state" radio station
AFGHANISTAN : new station planned by International Media Support
...............................................................
AFGHANISTAN : Afghan Taliban mouthpiece resumes broadcasts
KABUL, Oct 24 (Reuters) - The ruling Taliban movement in Afghanis-
tan has resumed broadcasting from its radio station that was hit at
the start of the U.S. air raids over two weeks ago, an Information
Ministry official said on Wednesday.
The Voice of Shariat, the Taliban's official radio station, has
restarted broadcasts via a mobile transmitter with a one-kilowatt
capacity after its main transmitter in the eastern outskirts of
Kabul was destroyed by bombs, Nasiri said.
"You can only hear it in Kabul and its programmes are for one hour
in the afternoon. The programmes consist of religious hymns and
news," Nasiri told Reuters.
(REUTERS Oct 24, 2001 via A.Borgnino-ITA for CRW)
Taliban Radio Back On The Air For Limited Transmissions
10/24/2001
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP)--The Taliban's radio station has resumed
limited broadcasting for the first time since U.S. jets destroyed
its main transmitter two weeks ago, the Information Ministry said
Wednesday. The Voice of Shariat resumed broadcasting Tuesday for one
hour in the afternoon using a mobile transmitter with a one-kilowatt
capacity, the ministry said. It can only be heard in the Kabul area.
The fare is limited to religious programs and newscasts since the
Taliban have banned music.
(AP Oct 24, 2001 via R.Hofwiler-D for CRW)
AP story with mention of Radio Shariat
Thu, Oct 25 5:53 PM EDT
By KATHY GANNON, Associated Press Writer
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) - A jet roars overhead. Anti-aircraft guns
boom. On the street, a Taliban soldier paces back and forth, his
Kalashnikov slung over his shoulder. Gazing skyward, he listens:
one, two, three minutes. The aircraft patrols the skies over Kabul,
then leaves. This time, no bombs fall on the city. Many times, they
do.
Still pacing, the Taliban soldier puts a radio to his ear but hears
only a crackling sound; the Taliban's Radio Shariat goes off the air
before sunset. He fiddles with the dial.
In the beleaguered nation - under attack by a U.S.-led coalition
waging a war against suspected terrorists headquartered here - the
only window to the outside world is the radio. There is no
television in Afghanistan; the Taliban have banned it.
Not that it would operate now anyway. It's 9 p.m., and the Taliban
have turned electricity off throughout the capital to make it harder
for American attackers to find targets.
(AP via B.Smith-USA Oct 25, 2001 in ODXA-ML)
...............................................................
AFGHANISTAN : Northern Alliance to launch "state" radio station -
Tajik agency |
Text of report by Tajik news agency Asia-Plus Dushanbe, 25 October:
A new state radio of Afghanistan, Sado-e Afghoniston [station's name
in Dari] (Voice of Afghanistan) will start to broadcast soon. The
Asia-Plus news agency has learnt from the editor-in-chief of Voice
of Afghanistan, Said Hamid Nuri [name as received], that all neces-
sary equipment has been purchased. According to him, part of the
equipment was bought with financial support from [assassinated se-
nior anti-Taleban commander] Ahmad Shah Masud, and the other part
was given by the humanitarian organization Afghanistan Relief as
aid.
A group of engineers, who will choose a place for installing an
aerial and transmitter, have gone to Fayzabad [the capital of
northeastern Badakhshan Province]. New staff are being preparing to
work at Voice of Afghanistan. The radio station is different from
other radio stations which exist in the country, as it is going to
broadcast to the whole of Afghanistan.
Source: Asia-Plus news agency, Dushanbe, in Russian 0706 gmt
25 Oct 01 (via BBCM via DXLD)
...............................................................
AFGHANISTAN : new station planned by International Media Support
A new radio station is due some time in December broadcasting from
Pakistan to Afghanistan - at first aimed at Kabul and Kandahar. The
new station will be run by International Media Support (IMS) which
was founded recently in Denmark by the Baltic Media Center among
others. The idea of this new radiostation is that it should be "an
independent station with no political talk, no propaganda and thus
different to what comes from the Taleban, the Northern Alliance, the
BBC and the Voice of America". The new station will provide facts
and reliable information on the conflict. The IMS feel that there is
a huge need for unbiased information on the fighting and current
situation; the Afghan people don`t trust any of the current media,
acc. to IMS. The new station will be based in Pakistan and will be
manned by Afghan journalists. It is expected that the new station,
which remains unnamed so far, will cost approx. 5 or 6 million DKr
(610.000-735.000 USD) to run for the first 6 months. A Danish
delegation is currently in Pakistan to negotiate a license for the
station, and the current plan is to open two 200 Watt medium wave
transmitters in Quetta and Peshawar
(S.H.Nielsen-DNK Oct 25, 2001 in DXLD 1-158)
------------xxxxxxxxxx Schedules xxxxxxxxxx--------------------
------------xxxxxxxxxx Logs xxxxxxxxxx-------------------------
Logs - AFGHANISTAN
8700 kHz USB
Afghan Airspace? According to an article in the Washington Post
(10/19, page A20), the US is broadcasting to Afghanistan from a USAF
EC-130E plane known as Commando Solo. The broadcasts are reportedly
run 5 hours each morning and 5 hours each evening, on two AM
frequencies and one SW frequency. Broadcasts consist of war-related
messages interspersed with popular Afghan music.
(A.Delibert-MD-USA Oct 19, 2001 in CDX 370)
Information Radio 8699.96 fair/good with talk and music interludes.
Many mentions of bin Laden, Taleban, Afghanistan. I did not actually
hear an ID announcement, OCT 17 0203 & OCT 21 0036. The steady
signal suggests to me that it is not from an airborn transmitter. I
heard the medium wave broadcast from the same psyops group over
Haiti some years ago, and I recall that there was fading suggestive
of a plane making turns.
(J.Renfrew-NY-USA Oct 21, 2001 in CDX 370)
1224-1317 I heard Pennsylvania Air National Guard Special Operations
broadcasting over Afghanistan. SINPO at 1224 UTC=15311 improving to
25322 by 1240 UTC. Program in presumed Dari and Pashto: Man talk;
second man talk; Afghan-style music with singers at 1235; then
alternating talk and music with flutes, singers, and drums. Mention
"jihad". Possible jamming 1244-1247. Music especially audible.
(G.Glotzbach-NM-USA Oct 21, 2001 in CDX 370)
Re : Maybe this frequency has been [..] especially for Taliban army
personell - Or to own special US command operatings within Afgha-
nistan!... It is possible at the same time to send coded signals on
this frequency to their own soldiers not heard by ordinary recei-
vers, just in case the satellite contact is destroyed. The program
is not that very attrac- tive for ordinary Afghan people I think.
(P.-O.Stenman-FIN Oct 23, 2001 in HCDX)
All this talk of why 8.7 MHz I have sat wondering this point too
It could be as you may have seen on TV that the Taliban are still
using HF SSB communication and what do the operatoes do when bored?
they tune around. So it could be a way of talking to the operators
who then talk with the others about what has been heard. I dont
think it is to make SWLers miss the "REAL STUFF" what goverment is
going to care about us?
(P.Smith-G Oct 24, 2001 for CRW)
Looking at Richs Loggings, I have to second his question with regard
to 8.700 : "Why can't other broadcasts from this part of the world
be heard this well in North America?" That is awfully good for
50KW. It's in here at 0320 at near armchair levels with incredible
jaming. Problem is, they are on USB and the jamming appears to be
LSB. A tweak of the notch on the HF 1000A and even the stray compo-
nents are gone. Male announcer with many mentions of "Taliban." A
couple of phrases almost sounded English. If it weren't for his
accent and some QRN working against me, I might follow the program.
Looks like 0327*.
(C.Rippel-USA Oct 24, 2001 in HCDX)
I listened to 8700 when they signed on this morning. At 0028 the
carrier was switched on in the AM mode. At 0029 they went to a 1000
Hz test tone in the SSB mode. At 0030 they switched without inter-
ruption from the test tone to announcements, apparently in Dari.
After a rather short introductory announcement the first song was
played. Intitially reception was rather good, but soon dropped off.
(O.Alm-S Oct 25, 2001 in CDX 370)
Die Gringos haben ja wohl [..], wenn sie einerseits Clusterbomben
auf die Zivilbevölkerung schmeißen und zum anderen fröhliche
Hochzeits-Tanzmusik auf 8700 kHz und Mittelwelle dudeln. Es gibt
schließlich auch afghanische Musik, die besser zu dieser Tragödie
passen würde.
(J.Lohuis-D Oct 25, 2001 for CRW)
8700usb : Let me know if anyone hears VOA broadcasts on this freq.
If so, then probably from the EC-130. If not, then probably a
feeder. Discussions with appropriate people indicate that they are
also rebroadcasting VOA, which would not have to be fed to them.
The other programming might be fed to the aircraft on this freq.
Rippel is right re the jammer. I get it peaked just below the
8700LSB freq here in MD. The R-8A and AOR7030 passband tuning just
takes it right away.
(D.Henderson-USA Oct 25, 2001 in DXplorer-ML)
6995 1445 COMMAND SOLO - ? TALK OM DARI 33343
(R.Scaglione-I Oct 27, 2001 in BCL-News-ML)
I hear Commando Solo here fairly well past 0030 UT on 8700-USB;
grows faint around 0300
(B.Thomas-CT-USA Oct 2?, 2001 in DXLD 1-159)
Better than usual, less interference, UT Sat Oct 27 at 0042 check
with declamatory talk
(G.Hauser-OK-USA Oct 27, 2001 in DXLD 1-159)
What is this jamming you guys mention on 8700U? I have never heard
any jamming on the frequency. Maybe some of the RTTY beating with
the 8700 operation, sounds like jamming listening to it from the
other side of the world. Just for verification, I checked it again
a little while ago and found it, going strong, various RTTY close at
hand but going strong at 1600.
I do not want to take the fun out of anyone's educated guesses. But
Just to say that on the 22nd when most northen signals got wiped out
at 0030, including even VOA Kavalla beamed to S.Asia on 9 MHz, and
even as far down as UAE were affected, 8700U was unaffected, and
solid. I feel (I don't challenge) this operation can not be at
such a latitude as Turkmanistan. I feel it is more an Equatorial
path. Maybe even an aircraft carrier in the Indian Ocean close to
the Pakistani coast.
The other argument about VOA programmes is not very clear. VOA has
many satellite feeds. I feel this is just a back up and not really
the main feed.
(G.V.A.Goonetilleke-CLN Oct 27, 2001 in DXplorer-ML)
Da habe ich auf 8700 vorigen Sonntag Abend etwas Merkwürdiges ge-
hört. Es war nicht mehr das Rundfunkprogramm da sondern ein Utility
Sender in USB (diese Frequenz wird doch nur für CW benützt, oder?),
jedennfalls klang das ganze wie Arabisch o.ä. und mit langen Pausen
dazwischen wie bei Flugfunk Kommunikation.
(E.Bergmann-D Oct 28, 2001 in A-DX)
Das mit der Tanzmusik habe ich beim letzten BC-DX von W.Büschel ge-
lesen. Und man kann ja auch hören, dass die Musik einen tanzbaren
Beat hat. Diese Musik habe ich früher nie bei R.Afghanistan gehört.
Ich denke, sie ist in den USA von Exilafghanen gespielt und aufge-
nom- men worden. Letzte Woche, Mo od. Di, habe ich auf 8700 kHz ge-
hört, wie die CD kurz hängengeblieben ist.
(J.Lohuis-D Oct 28, 2001 for CRW)
I mentioned the jamming a few issues of DXplorer ago. Both myself
and Dan Henderson have experienced it. Speaking for myself, the
jamming makes the broadcast unuesable here when employing anything
but ECSS, in USB. The jamming seems to audio noise broadcast on
LSB.
Reading the Newspaper article, I noted about 2/3 through the artic-
le, it was speculated that 8700 might have been a Taliban command
and control frequency. With that in mind, one might assume that the
radio assetts the Taliban might have by which to jam 8700 are some
sort of military radio equipment, formally used to communicate on
that frequency. Most military equipment is capable of SSB operation
although in some cases, for battlefield simplicity, the sideband to
be used is fixed and thus not selectable. Also, AM, double-sideband
transmissions are inefficient and their effective transmission would
require considerable power.
The theory I am postulating, based on monitoring here, is that the
co-channel interference is on one sideband only. Based on the abo-
ve, in my mind, this lends support to the theory the transmission
source is from a military transmitter and most likely intentional.
The only way to hear the transmission at my QTH is to select USB and
adjust the PBT control until the interference is largely unselected.
(C.Rippel-USA Oct 28, 2001 in DXplorer-ML)
Was listening to WOR last night WWCR and noted you mentioned the
possibility of being transmitted from Diego Garcia. Well, sounds
great but Diego García has only been heard here once or twice and
was difficult at best. [you mean the AFN relays? And why would those
with different frequencies, transmitters and antennas necessarily
correlate with 8700? -gh] Friday night I listened to the entire
broadcast on one receiver and noted that the signal level dropped
from 7.0 to 6.5 and then back to 7.0 ~ till off. No flutter,
eliminates, areas such as Thailand or Sri Lanka or any Indo area. I
think better chance from Germany than anywhere. I thought possible
Russian xmtr but watched Geo Clock for sunrise and no change so that
is out. Narrowed to Germany or Turkey but have a good idea it to be
Germany
(B.Montgomery-PA-USA Oct 28, 2001 in DXLD 1-161)
Wer kann mir folgendes auklären: 8700 auf USB Musikprogramm, 8700
auf LSB Morsebetrieb, Zeit heute 1700 UTC
(T.Dreher-D Oct 29, 2001 in A-DX)
Re : 8700 auf LSB MorsebetriebZeit heute 1700 UTC - Ist 7TF Boufarik
R. aus ALG. Sendet aber unmoduliert in A1A auf 8698 und ist daher
mit einem genügend breiten Filter auf 8700 mit ca. 2 kHz Tonhöhe
zu vernehmen. (Es sind heut genau 1925 Hz, mein Empfänger geht 17 Hz
nach, also liegen sie heut 58 Hz daneben.)
(M.Zwoch-D Oct 29, 2001 in A-DX)
Thanks to a tip from Bryan Clark regarding a good time to catch this
transmission on 8700u, this morning (29th) it was very good signal
from 1715 till s/off at 1732. Lots of references in presumed Dari
language to "Taliban". Regards
(D.Norrie-NZL Oct 29, 2001 in DXLD 1-162)
Voice of Sharia
7084.6 Voice of Sharia' Heard what turned out to be their final
English broadcast. Oct 8th, ID as "You are listening to Voice of
Sharia', Afghanistan. 1536 with comment on how US strikes would
fail. Gone at 1656 check.
(H.Johnson-AFS Oct 8, 2001 in CDX LS Logbook)
Unid
Unidentified strong jammer noted on 7080, Oct 20 0230-0300+
(B.Alexander-PA-USA Oct 20, 2001 in DXLD 1-158)
------------xxxxxxxxxx QSL Verifications xxxxxxxxxx------------
Qsl's - AFGHANISTAN
8700 kHz
Solo (Antwort) : hier die Antwort auf meinen gemailten Bericht:
On 2001-10-24 brent.keener@paharr.ang.af.mil said:
= Joachim.......below is a web site which you might find interesting
= regarding Commando Solo. That's about all I'm able to tell you. I
= have been receiving nearly three such messages per day from around
= the world. i.e. Finland, Germany, States withing the USA, Sweden
= and even Pakistan.
= Brent
= "The best thing about the future is that it only comes one day at
= a time."
= *Abraham Lincoln {1809-1865, 16th US President}
= Brent E. Keener, SMSgt, RRS
= PaANG DMVA
= Bldg S-O-47, Fisher Ave.
= Annville, Pa 17003-5002
= DSN: 491-8695 or 800.532-0858 x-8
= brent.keener@paharr.ang.af.mil
= www.ang.state.pa.us
(J.Thiel-D Oct 24, 2001 in A-DX)
PsyOps in Afghanistan - a feeder transmitter on 8700 kHz (USB) -
Address for reception reports:
193rd Special Operations Wing
Attn: Lt. Edward Shank
81 Constellation Court
Middletown, PA 17057 USA
e-mail: edward.shank@paharr.ang.af.mil
They have their own QSL card.
(K.Honzik-CZE Oct 25, 2001 in HCDX)
------------xxxxxxxxxx Miscellaneous xxxxxxxxxx----------------
Misc - AFGHANISTAN
--- U.S. Psyops and Turkmenistan (in CRW 084 Extra)
Re : Afghanistan: U.S. Psyops and Turkmenistan
Re : Afghanistan: Transcript of Exchange
Very interesting, but one minor point: the signal would not degrade
precisely at local sunrise at the transmitter, but at the control
point --- hundreds of km away in the direxion of the receiver, when
sunrise occurs at the ionospheric layer first refracting the signal.
And even that is not instantaneous. Also, propagation at 9 MHz is
not strictly a daytime matter. There have got to be plenty of
monitors with beams or fancier antennas who could get a fix on 8700
by triangulating it. Why haven`t we heard from them? The BBC
Monitoring facility in Uzbekistan ought to be able to tell what
direxion it is coming from.
(G.Hauser-USA Oct25, 2001 in DXLD 1-158)
I feel (I don't challenge) this operation can not be at such a
latitude as Turkmanistan. I feel it is more an Equatorial path.
Maybe even an aircraft carrier in the Indian Ocean close to the
Pakistani coast.
(G.V.A.Goonetilleke-CLN Oct 27, 2001 in DXplorer-ML)
[..] Well, sounds great but Diego García has only been heard here
once or twice and was difficult at best.[..] I think better chance
from Germany than anywhere. I thought possible Russian xmtr but
watched Geo Clock for sunrise and no change so that is out. Narrowed
to Germany or Turkey but have a good idea it to be Germany
[full log in log-section under 8700 kHz)
(B.Montgomery-PA-USA Oct 28, 2001 in DXLD 1-161)
Can you rule out Turkmenistan? That CRW theory seems to be widely
ignored; how come?
(G.Hauser-USA Oct 28, 2001 in DXLD 1-161) To close to call ? [CRW]
The only way to have a reasonable idea where Psyops 8700 originates,
is by triangulating the signal during both morning and evening
broadcasts; everything else is just speculative. HF propagation is
too complex to be able to determine the origins of an unknown signal
by using simple grey line measurements. MUF contour values are by no
means fixed. I think it is quite possible that 8700 does in fact
originate from an airplane. I have no trouble listening to commer-
cial airliners thousands of miles away, with strong signals and far
less power. Remember having a 30,000 ft high antenna does have its
advantages! Also transmitting at that altitude means that the LUF is
lower then land based transmitters. As far as broadcasting on SSB on
an off band frequency, that can be racked up to the US Military's
version of common sense, especially in light of the recent specula-
tion that 8700 is a mistaken figure for 7080, or dropping both
cluster bombs and food packages in the same area both colored yellow
and of similar size. Until there is evidence otherwise, there is no
reason to assume that these signals are land based
(D.Hodgson-TN-USA Oct 29, 201 in DXLD 1-162)
A theory for 8700USB - Folks, I have a theory. Others have consi-
dered Diego Garcia as the possible location for the 8700USB feeder
frequency for the USAF Psyops operation. A very plausible possi-
bility, in my opinion. Now we know of 2 frequencies used by AFRTS
Diego Garcia, 4319 and 12579USB. I expect these transmitter(s) are
frequency agile, and could easily tune to 8700 USB. Now, has anyone
heard 8700 at the same time as either 12579 or 4319? Or to put it
another way, what happens on these frequencies before and after the
scheduled broadcasts? 12579 is often heard here in the mornings, but
I'm unaware of any loggings lately. It wouldn't be proof, but highly
probable!
(W.Salmaniw-BC-CAN Oct 30, 2001 in HCDX)
--- Interview with the 193rd SOW, by H.Johnson
I was just able to interview the public affairs officer of the 193rd
SOW, the American Air National Guard unit responsible for the radio
broadcasts on MW and 8700 kHz. Lt. Ed Shank is a heck of a nice
guy, I have known him since he was Sgt. Shank back in 1998. Ed's
civilian job is a sculptor. While he is understandably quite busy,
I was able to ask him a few questions.
Johnson [J] Is the shortwave frequency of 8700 kHz coming from the
aircraft or is it coming from another location?
Shank [S] From the e-mails I've been receiving from Florida, New
Jersey, The Netherlands, Germany and Tokyo (just to name a few), the
transmissions seem to be coming from the aircraft itself. Unfortu-
nately, it will take a thorough after-actions briefing further down
the road to officially confirm that.
[J] Is the shortwave frequency used to feed the aircraft with the
programs?
[S] The programs, developed by the U.S. Army's 4th Psychological
Operations Group out of Ft. Bragg, N.C., can be either couriered to
the location of our aircraft or transmitted via satellite.
[J] Are there any other shortwave frequencies airing the program?
[S] Not that I'm aware of.
[J] 8700 kHz is listed on the leaflets that are being dropped, but
is actually being broadcast in USB. How can ordinary Afghans tune
this in when most shortwave sets cannot receive transmissions in
SSB?
I have no idea...
http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/uk/newsid_1589000/1589318.stm
[link to article on windup radios]
[J] Why was 8700 kHz chosen instead of the Taliban's old shortwave
frequency of 7085 kHz?
[S] Frequencies are provided to us by the 4th POG.
(H.Johnson-USA Oct 24, 2001 in CDX 368-1)
Re: [CDX 368-1] I was just able to interview ........
Wel leuk zo'n interview, maar ik word er niet veel wijzer van.
Is het jullie al opgevallen dat de 8700 kHz over de hele wereld met
een goed signaal wordt ontvangen? Europa, de VS, Japan, Australië.
Dat moet toch wel een aardig vermogen in een aardige antenne zijn.
En waarom zo'n sterk signaal? Als het waar is dat deze freq. wordt
gebruikt vanuit de Herky's om de Afghanen te bereiken, is het dan
niet een beetje teveel van het goede? Vragen, vragen, ik ben
benieuwd naar de antwoorden. Die ons uiteraard tzt zullen bereiken.
(C.van Ravenswaaij-HOL Oct 24, 2001 in BDXC-HOL-ML)
--- Are Commando Solo broadcasts effective?
Q. Are Commando Solo broadcasts effective ?
A. I don`t know what we are broadcasting. Continues to fly and pass
messages. Anecdotal reports that there are still defexions, still
those changing sides. You in the press are reporting defexions
between Northern Alliance and Taleban forces. That`s the ilk of this
area. Afghanistan is not so much a country as a frame of mind. These
are tribes. Tribes and their leaders have allegiances allowing them
to survive and flourish. When getting messages thru radios or leaf-
lets, or seeing tactical advantages moving against them, they will
do what they need to survive. We are not keeping any kind of tally
(Rear Adm. John Stufflebeem, Deputy Director for Operations, Joint
Staff, Pentagon Briefing, Oct 23 1851 UT via CNN, paraphrased by
G.Hauser-USA for DXLD 1-157)
--- Local newspaper story about the Commando Solo
Our local newspaper printed a story today about the Commando Solo
mission. This is of local interest since the 193rd flies out of
Middletown, our local airport. Kudos to the reporter for mentioning
both the frequency and time for the monitoring the relay trans-
mission. Here's the link:
http://www.pennlive.com/news/patriotnews/index.ssf?/xml/story.ssf/ht
ml_standard.xsl?/base/news/10040886535097158.xml
(S.Walker-PA-USA Oct 26, 2001 in DXLD 1-159)
Commando Solo article - Check out the article in today's Harrisburg
Patriot about the Commando Solo broadcasts. It manages to quote a
Donald Nelson and a Richard D'Angelo. I received a phone call from
the reporter who talked to someone at the central PA base where the
aircraft is stationed. He got my name from the base commander
who read the reporter my reception report. [..]
http://www.pennlive.com/news/patriotnews/index.ssf?/xml/story.ssf/ht
ml_standard.xsl?/base/news/10040886535097158.xml
(R.D'Angelo-PA-USA Oct 26, 2001 in DXplorer-ML)
A very detailed article about the EC-130E aircraft used for the
"Commando Solo" broadcasts can be found at:
http://www.fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/ac/ec-130e.htm
(M.Kropf-D WDXC-UK Oct 30, 2001 in BCDX 545)
--- U.S. Commando Solo II Takes Over Afghan Airwaves
U.S. Commando Solo II Takes Over Afghan Airwaves
By Jim Garamone, American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, Oct. 29, 2001 -- After years of Taliban propaganda, the
Afghan people are hearing another voice.
Within days of the terrorist attacks on New York City, the Pentagon,
and apparently other targets throughout the U.S. that were foiled,
Washington quietly deployed troops from the Army Special Operations
Command at Fort Bragg, N.C. The units that make up "Special Ops," as
they are commonly called, are specialized in "unconventional" and
psychological war (psyops). They have seen action across the world
and during each and every major U.S. military intervention since the
Vietnam War.
At any time of the day or night, an Air Force Special Operations
Command EC-130E Commando Solo II is in the area of operations and
broadcasting news and information to the Afghan people.
The aircraft fly a variety of missions. In Afghanistan, they're
broadcasting music, news and information in the various languages of
the country. These are radio broadcasts only.
The planes are part of the 193rd Special Operations Wing of the
Pennsylvania Air National Guard. They are based at Harrisburg
International Airport, Pa.
Army specialists in the language and customs of the area prepare the
broadcasts.
The capability allows U.S. Central Command planners to warn the
Afghan population to stay away from Taliban and Al Qaeda targets.
The broadcasts stress that the coalition campaign is not aimed at
the Afghan people, but at the terrorists and their Taliban
supporters.
"We have no wish to hurt you, the innocent people of Afghanistan,"
reads one English translation of a broadcast. "Stay away from
military installations, government buildings, terrorist camps,
roads, factories or bridges."
Another broadcast told the people of Afghanistan why the United
States is attacking the Taliban and Al Qaeda. "On Sept. 11, 2001,
thousands of people were killed en masse in the United States," it
reads. "Among them was a two-year- old girl. Barely able to stand or
dress herself. Did she deserve to die? Why was she killed you ask?
Was she a thief? What crime had she committed? She was merely on a
trip with her family to visit her grandparents. Policemen, fire-
fighters, teachers, doctors, mothers, father, sisters, brothers all
killed. Why?"
The broadcast went on to explain that the attacks in New York and
the Pentagon were on innocent people -- an act forbidden by the
Muslim Koran. "(The terrorists) believe they are heroes, Ghazi
warriors triumphing over the evil of the West," the broadcast
continues. "However, the truth is they are murderers and do not
represent Islam." Ghazi warriors are Muslim heroes from the early
days of the religion.
Ham radio operators can listen to the broadcast at 8700 kilohertz,
said Air Force 1st Lt. Edward Shank, a spokesman for the squadron.
The squadron has participated in operations in Panama, Bosnia,
Kosovo and during the Gulf War. Their aircraft have been modified to
not only handle radio, but television broadcasts. They can broadcast
via tape or live. "If needed, we have the capability to take a
speech by the President of the United States and beam it live via
satellite to the aircraft, which then would broadcast it," Shank
said.
The name "Commando Solo II" also has meaning. Commando refers to the
special operations mission, and Solo refers to the fact that the
aircraft can go it alone, Shank said.
http://www.defenselink.mil/news/Oct2001/n10292001_200110292.html
(via N.Grace-USA Oct 30, 2001 for CRW)
--- In Mind Warfare, U.S. Living in the Past
In Mind Warfare, U.S. Living in the Past
By Tom Infield, San Jose Mercury News, October 15, 2001
WASHINGTON -- The U.S. military's psychological warriors have been
sent to the Afghanistan region with equipment to broadcast political
messages to the Afghan people.
But a Pentagon report released last year suggests that the equipment
is outdated and inadequate, especially in comparison with the
sophistication of American weapons.
A telling example: Commando Solo.
Commando Solo is the nickname of the 193rd Special Operations Wing,
an Air National Guard unit based at Middletown, Pa.
On Sept. 23, the unit was deployed to the conflict zone, where it
was to beam radio or TV propaganda from the relatively safe distance
of an airplane flying somewhere beyond the borders of Afghanistan.
The unit's EC-130 cargo planes contain the armed forces' most
up-to-date psychological operations, known as "psyops,"
equipment--much of it from the 1960s and '70s.
"It's not vacuum tubes and dial phones, but it's pretty close," a
military official, who asked not to be named, said.
The Pentagon had planned this summer to equip the Commando Solo
troops with EC-130J aircraft, a slightly updated version of the
planes they have been flying since 1963. But the unit's one new
plane still sits on the ground in California, where it's being
refitted--mostly with the same old equipment carried for years.
The Pentagon report, issued in May 2000 by the Defense Science
Board, was critical of the technical capabilities of the U.S. Spe-
cial Operations Command at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, which
oversees all military propaganda.
Besides broadcasting messages, psyops troops can drop leaflets to
Afghan fighters or civilians. In the gulf war, thousands of Iraqi
soldiers surrendered clutching airdropped leaflets that promised
they would be fairly treated.
Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld has indicated that leaflets have
been dropped on Afghanistan along with food parcels, which may serve
their own propaganda purpose by convincing Afghan civilians that
Americans are not their enemies.
The content of the leaflets has not been revealed, but U.S. offi-
cials who asked not to be identified said some of them urge Taliban
soldiers to defect.
The Pentagon has not confirmed reports that psyops troops also drop-
ped hand-crank radios tuned to the single frequency on which Comman-
do Solo may be operating. The ruling Taliban has outlawed most mo-
dern technology in Afghanistan, and Afghans generally do not have
radios.
Citing cases such as the gulf war troop surrender, the Pentagon
report said that psyops can be very effective. But it also said the
Special Operations Command had failed to keep up with advances in
electronic communications.
The authors wrote, "While the United States is years ahead of its
competitors in terms of military technology, in terms of psyops
there are already competitors on par with or even arguably more
sophisticated than the U.S."
The board called it ironic that while the United States "leads the
world in commercial media technology and development," the American
military often was using antiquated equipment.
The board's report was merely advisory, meaning that military
planners did not have to act on it.
An official at the Special Operations Command said the report has
been given serious consideration. He could not immediately cite any
examples, however, in which SOCOM operations had been changed to
reflect the report.
Army Lt. Col. Michael M. Smith, psychological operations policy
officer at Special Operations Command, said the military is well
aware that Commando Solo "is getting a little long in the tooth."
http://chicagotribune.com/technology/chi-0110150195oct15.story
(via N.Grace-USA Oct 30, 2001 for CRW)
--- Taleban set up five "temporary radio stations"
Taleban set up five "temporary radio stations" - Pakistani paper |
Text of report by Pakistani newspaper Jang on 22 October
Chaman: The Taleban have suffered a major setback after the US
commandos entered the residence of their supreme commander Mola
Mohammad Omar. Expressing anger over this incident, some commanders
have termed it a result of the flawed performance by the responsible
commanders. Meanwhile, to counter US propaganda, the Taleban have
set up five temporary radio stations. Corps commander Kandahar Mow-
lawi Akhtar Mohammad Osmani told Jang that the Taleban have taken
vigorous steps to prevent such incidents in the future. Explosive
mines have been buried at sensitive locations, including Kandahar
airport, whereas suicide troops have also been appointed at various
places. He said the future land attacks could be carried out from
Pakistan's border; therefore, the Taleban have installed tanks,
anti-aircraft guns, and thousands of Taleban at 20 points near the
border. He also said that the Taleban had a clash with some uniden-
tified attackers near the southern border, in which the Taleban
defeated the attackers. He said the Taleban are ready for future
attacks from this border. Sources from the information ministry in
Kandahar said that at a meeting held on Sunday [21 October], a new
system of faster communication between Taleban commanders has been
devised which would prove to be effective and helpful for communi-
cating Mola Omar's orders to them.
Source: Jang, Rawalpindi, in Urdu 22 Oct 01
(via BBCM via DXLD 1-157)
--- Is 4775 kHz from AFG ?
Hi all, if I could draw your attention to 4775.0 kHz. From 1556 to
1630z I listened to a very weak signal there. The noteworthy thing
is that it`s a Voice of Sharia frequency. Now, I know that the USAF
supposedly bombed them and put them out of operation. But I also
read somewhere that they put up another TX at Mazaar-al-Sharif. True
or not ??? I don`t know. Anyway, the signal was obviously jammed and
only halfway discernible on LSB. Very weak with fading but a few
usable peaks with language that "could" have been Dari or Pashtu and
some Koran singing...
(T.Roth-D Oct 26, 2001 in swl@qth.net via DXLD 1-160)
They had not been using 4775 for long time before the recent
difficulties (G.Hauser-USA Oct 27, 2001 in DXLD 1-160)
--- Voice of Peace
The radio running on optimism
Patrick Cockburn meets the broadcaster who is determined to keep
fellow Afghans informed
23 October 2001 The Independent (London, Eng.)
http://news.independent.co.uk/world/asia_china/story.jsp?story=100883
A year ago, Mohammed Ezedyar Alam abandoned the radio station that
he was running in northern Afghanistan and fled for his life, when
the town from which he was broadcasting was captured by the Taliban.
Now, Mr Alam, a gaunt 38-year-old with a slightly harassed manner,
is back on the air after starting a new station called the Voice of
Peace. Its name reflects Mr Alam's aspirations for the future rather
than current reality. Its broadcasts are almost entirely devoted to
war, and, to his embarrassment, the station is temporarily housed
inside a military barracks in the village of Jabal Saraj.
There is no doubt that in Afghanistan, radio is king as a source of
information. There are no newspapers or television. People are
desperately eager for information. They feel, rightly, that the next
few weeks will determine their future and the future of Afghanistan.
In the dusty streets of the villages held by the opposition, there
is usually at least one man with his ear pressed to a radio. A
silent crowd often collects around him, listening intently to the
news. The most popular stations are the BBC, Voice of America and
German radio, all broadcasting in Dari, a language akin to Iranian,
as well as Radio Iran.
Mr Alam, working with a staff of 15, has been on the air for just a
week, but already local people speak highly of his broadcasts, which
go out for one and a half hours twice a day. "I think that the best
news is on Voice of Peace," said a soldier in camouflage uniform who
was buying a radio in a small shop.
The day we spoke, the main news on the radio was about the opposi-
tion advance on Mazar-i-Sharif, the largest city of northern Afgha-
nistan. Mr Alam, who knows the city well, drew us a small map indi-
cating the main lines of advance by General Rashid Dostum and his
deputy, Ata Mohammed. He said: "Our other items were about the
bombardment of Kabul, 150 Taliban defecting, and [former Afghan]
King Zahir."
Mr Alam's career as a radio journalist has required some rapid
changes of location. Last year, he was chased out of the north-
eastern town of Taleqon when the Taliban took it. A little earlier,
they had briefly taken Charikar, north of Kabul, where Mr Alam was
previously based, and had destroyed all his station's equipment
before they withdrew.
For the moment, the range of Voice of Peace is limited, but Mr Alam
hopes that, by putting a new antenna on a nearby mountain top, he
will soon be able to broadcast to Kabul. US bombers have destroyed
Radio Shariat, the main Afghan station, and only a few provincial
Taliban radios are still operating.
Mr Alam's radio has also just broadcast a fascinating scoop. It
reports that in retaliation for the US and British air strikes, the
Taliban have banned the teaching of English in Afghanistan, and
ordered all English language schools be closed. Those who continue
to teach English will be severely punished.
Despite the Taliban's suspicion of educational establishments in
general, there has been a keen appetite to learn English, even in
small villages, among Afghan students who believe that knowledge of
the language is necessary for emigration. Small private schools have
flourished.
The Taliban's action against English is in keeping with its tradi-
tion of banning cultural phenomena of which it disapproves. When it
captured Kabul in 1996, it immediately prohibited television, video,
satellite TV and music, along with all games including football and
even kite-flying - a favourite pastime in Afghanistan. Some Taliban
militants even strangled songbirds, often kept as pets, deeming them
to be a distraction from religion.
(via A.Borgnino-I Oct 24, 2001 for CRW)
US takes to the air(waves) in Afghan campaign
As US warplanes continue to rake Taliban lines and facilities, the
CIA is homing in on hearts and minds.
By Scott Peterson | Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor
http://www.csmonitor.com/2001/1024/p7s1-wosc.html
JABAL SARAJ, AFGHANISTAN - As dusk falls across the Shomali Plain
north of the Afghan capital, Kabul, American jet fighters streak
across the sky and drop a handful of bombs on front-line positions
of the Taliban militia - harassing fire repeated for the past three
days.
When the dust-clouds settle, transistor radios flicker to life, and
the propaganda war begins.
Until US and British bombing raids began 18 days ago, the Taliban-
run Voice of Sharia radio, broadcast from Kabul, filled the airwaves
with religious discourse and official decrees. Their opponents,
listeners were told, were "evil and corrupt forces."
Today, that Taliban signal has turned to static, its transmitter
destroyed by two cruise missiles. In its place are mainly American
broadcasts, part of a broad psychological-operations (psy-ops)
campaign run by the US military and the CIA in Afghanistan, which
aims to reassure Afghans that they have nothing to fear from
America's fight against terrorism. And for the few listeners in
range, there is a pro-opposition radio outlet, Voice of Peace.
"We have not come here to harm you. We have come to arrest Osama bin
Laden, Al Qaeda [his terrorist network], and those who support him,"
US broadcasts announce in Dari, the language spoken mainly by the
Taliban's opponents. "We are not here to make your country our
colony or to plunder it."
Broadcasts in Pashto, the language of Pashtuns - most Taliban
members hail from Afghanistan's largest ethnic group - warn against
interfering in US military operations and to steer clear of bridges,
terrorist training camps, and military sites. "These terrorists and
oppressors are currently in your country.... But the battle against
these fanatics that feed off the blood of the Afghan people cannot
be won without your help," the propaganda reads, according to a
transcript on the watchdog website clandestineradio.com.
While America's psy-ops record is mixed - with mistakes in Somalia
in the early 1990s among the most glaring - in a nation as starved
for information as Afghanistan, effective psy-ops may be critical to
success.
"Afghans are obsessed by radio," says Paul Beaver, a London-based
military analyst. Beaver says US psy-ops teams quickly reversed
initial efforts to beam in television images to a nation where TVs
are rare. Denounced as a cause of "moral corruption" by the radical
Islamic Taliban, TV is illegal in the 90 percent of Afghanistan
under its control.
"There was a very steep learning curve initially, but [the US] is
getting far better at honing the message," Mr. Beaver says. "The aim
is to tell the truth, which is often more damning than any fiction.
And to tell them what you are doing."
In the aftermath of the Sept. 11 attacks, President Bush signed the
most sweeping covert authorization for the CIA in the agency's
history, which almost certainly includes a heavy propaganda role.
The Pentagon's own specialists are at work, too.
Psy-ops teams are using six custom-equipped "Commando Solo" aircraft
for leaflet drops and broadcasts over Afghanistan. Afghan listeners
hear a lineup of traditional songs, militant pro-American and anti-
Taliban talk - some of it from female presenters, a direct defiance
of Taliban prohibitions on work outside the home for women - and
instructions on how to use ration packs air-dropped by US planes.
A Taliban minister, appealing to rebel Northern Alliance commanders
to fight against the US, complained last week that "now, the
Americans and the British and the Pakistanis are trying to brainwash
our people."
Beaver points out that such broadcast missions began in World War II
and were effective during the 1991 Gulf War and the 1999 US-led NATO
bombing of Kosovo. "The people who run this [psy-ops] are very
bright indeed," he says. "This is not a backwater military science."
Still, US psy-ops teams have a mixed record. In Somalia, when
American forces landed in December 1992 to help avert famine, the
first leaflets dropped from helicopters over Mogadishu were mis-
translated. "Slave nations have come to help you," they read. In a
clumsy effort to cultivate Somali national feeling against warlord
Mohamed Farah Aidid, a US-run radio station played heavy metal and
boasted that it was "Aidid's worst nightmare." Mobile speakers
blasted his compound with the sounds of tanks, machine-gun fire, and
roaring helicopters, but psy-ops efforts failed to rattle the war-
lord. This correspondent was among the first into Aidid's lair,
alongside US troops, and the fugitive's secret was evident on his
bedside table: a pair of pink ear plugs.
Such measures aren't necessary north of Kabul, where there is a
budding home-grown propaganda source for radio listeners: A new
station of the rebel Northern Alliance, Voice of Peace, is just
three weeks old. Broadcasting from a single cramped room in a
military barracks, with a puny FM transmitter tied to a pole on the
roof, the radio beams out its own diet of news and views.
"Our message is peace, we work for peace and how we should reach
there," says station director Mohamed Alam Ezedhar. While Mr.
Ezedhar insists his radio is independent, there is a strong dose
of pro-rebel politics. "The people of Afghanistan do not want the
Taliban," he says. "Our radio continues the people's policy."
A French agency, Droit de Parole, "free speech" or "right of words,"
donated broadcast equipment and two generators. It promises to bring
a much larger transmitter to boost the signal. Radio officials say
they have so far received no American support.
"This is a society without [local] radio, without newspapers,
without a news agency," says Ezedhar. So it is "very necessary."
The twice-a-day program starts with five minutes of reading from
the Islamic holy book, the Koran. Ten correspondents collect news
from various front lines, and report back via military walkie-
talkie. Letters from the public are read by both male and female
anchors. Music, in Pashto and Dari, is also a key ingredient. "We
are the flowers in one garden - Tajik, Shia, Sunni, Hazara, Pashtun
- living together," are the lyrics of a song on one recent
broadcast. "Everyone has the right to be free."
"If the Americans give us a good radio to reach all the people of
Afghanistan, and beyond our borders, it will be very important for
us," says Najib Rassa, deputy chief of the station.
Asked about his dream, Mr. Rassa says: "I don't like this kind of
small radio. I want a big radio, for all the people of Afghanistan."
(via CRW Team)
Radio a key weapon in battle for Afghan hearts and minds
By Craig Nelson, Herald Correspondent in Jabal Saraj, Afghanistan
from The Sydney Morning Herald, newspaper website
http://www.smh.com.au/news/0110/29/world/world3.html
Mohammed Azaryar insists the message of his one-month-old radio
station is peace, but its broadcasts resound suspiciously of war.
Its news trumpets the alleged military successes of the opposition
Northern Alliance, and its drumbeating commentaries pillory the
ruling Taliban as "lackeys" for the aggressive designs of Pakistan.
The 250-watt Voice of Peace radio station is a makeshift two-room
studio in an alliance barracks on the edge of the ramshackle village
of Jabal Saraj, 40 kilometres from the front line. It receives
technical aid from Free Speech, a France-based non-governmental
organisation. Mr Azaryar says he is happy to remain an informal ally
in the US-led war against the Taliban, but also says he would gladly
accept United States help to extend the station's range and expand
its four hours a day of programming.
"We're fighting the Taliban, too, so it would be great to have a
transmitter strong enough to beam across Afghanistan."
He may soon get his wish, for the US is waging two air wars in
Afghanistan. One relies on bombs, cruise missiles and aircraft, the
other on the tools of retail politics: radio broadcasts and
leaflets.
The outcome of the sometimes equally blunt war of information and
persuasion will be measured not in the number of Taliban militiamen
killed and military installations destroyed, but in the number of
Afghan hearts and minds won.
Spearheading the war of the airwaves are four specially equipped EC-
130E aircraft operated by units of the Pennsylvania National Guard.
They circle above the Afghan countryside, relaying from a satellite
or ground station in Pakistan 10 hours of news, traditional Afghan
music and announcements each day, includes instructions on how to
handle food packages dropped from US aircraft.
In Afghan dialects, the so-called Commando Solo aircraft herald the
arrival of US ground forces: "People of Afghanistan. US forces will
be moving through your area," one broadcast announces. "The United
States wishes you no ill. Please, please for your own safety, stay
off highways and roadways, and do not interfere with our troops or
our military operations."
Thanks to US warplanes, Voice of Peace radio and psychological
operations, or psy ops, units no longer have competition from the
Taliban for listeners.
One day after the air strikes began three weeks ago two cruise
missiles destroyed the Taliban-run Radio Voice of Sharia. Before it
was knocked off the air it claimed to be the only broadcaster in the
world to ban all music. Now only the US military occupies a nearby
frequency.
Since the Vietnam War, psy ops have played an important role in the
US arsenal. They have enjoyed mixed success.
The anti-Taliban campaign began inauspiciously, with television
signals being beamed into the country even though Afghans rely on
the radio for news.
---------
Inauspicious start... and then the wrong frequency and mode? -
(J.Cullen-ARDXC-AUS via DXLD 1-162)
Piece by piece. I don`t recall a ``ground station in Pakistan`` ever
being reported before, feeding Commando Solo, tho it`s hardly
surprising. So could 8700-USB be in Pak?
(G.Hauser-USA Oct 30, 2001 in DXD 1-162)
--- BBCM's Media Roundup
Afghanistan: Media round-up 23 October 2001
Balkh radio heard on 23 October
Radio Voice of Shari'ah of Balkh Province - the Taleban-controlled
provincial radio station based in the northern city of Mazar-e
Sharif - was heard broadcasting its scheduled morning transmission
from 0230-0430 gmt on 23 October.
The two-hour broadcast included Koranic verses and interpretations;
a report on meetings to condemn the US-led attacks, attended by
elders and clerics in Balkh as well as officials of Balkh Province's
health department; repeated reports from 22 October bulletins (see
below); and a repeat of the commentary condemning the Russian
president's talks with the ousted Afghan president in Dushanbe.
Because of technical reasons, BBC Monitoring could not confirm that
Balkh radio did sign on as scheduled for its 1230-1500 gmt evening
transmission on 23 October.
Balkh radio
Following are some items from the Dari/Pashto broadcasts from 1230-
1500 gmt on 22 October:
- Interview with the head of Balkh Province's agriculture department
on this year's autumn sowing campaign. The official talks about the
distribution of improved sowing seeds and fertilizer to farmers.
- Songs in Pashto: "I am a Mojahed"; "I am a Muslim"; "I have proved
to the world that I am an Afghan"; "I wish to rebuild my ruined
country".
- A delegation of Balkh senior officials recently visited Dawlatabad
District, Balkh Province and attended a meeting of the district's
religious scholars and officials.
- A meeting was held in the Balkh governor's office to discuss
issues related to the activities of NGOs in the province. "Thanks
were expressed for the assistance and cooperation rendered by the
NGOs."
- A Taleban official met a representative of the FAO in Balkh to
discuss the distribution of (?fertilizer) to farmers.
- Meetings held in Sholtapa District condemned US attacks on
Afghanistan.
- Commentary on ousted President Rabbani's visit to Tajikistan. It
criticizes Rabbani for visiting Tajikistan and meeting Russian
President Putin. It says that Russia's current policy is the
continuation of its past policy.
- News in Uzbek: A delegation led by the head of Balkh Province's
department for agriculture had talks with the head of an
international organization based in Mazar-e Sharif. The sides
discussed assistance to farmers in autumn. Assistance by this
organization is being distributed in Konduz, Baghlan and Samangan
provinces.
- Anti-US rallies were held in Pakistan. Participants in the rallies
strongly condemned the "barbaric attacks and crimes" by the US and
its allies against Afghanistan. They voiced their determination to
oppose the US attacks.
- An announcement by Balkh Province's Department for the Promotion
of Virtue and Prevention of Vice: "Kite flying by children is not a
suitable activity", it is not good for families and "damages
electricity cables and puts children's life in danger"; "parents are
asked to discourage their children from engaging in this unsuitable
activity"; "the department warns shopkeepers that selling kites is
not favoured by Islam" and if the children are caught flying kites
the "shopkeepers and the children's fathers will be arrested".
Kabul radio still unheard...
US-run psychological operations "Information Radio" continues...
Northern Alliance reportedly stops journalists entering from
Tajikistan
A convoy of vehicles carrying more than 60 reporters heading from
Tajikistan towards Afghanistan was barred at the Farkhor-Kokul
checkpoint on the Tajik-Afghan border on Monday 22 October, the
Russian news agency ITAR-TASS reported:
"An ITAR-TASS correspondent said from Tajikistan on Tuesday [23
October] that all the journalists were accredited in Tajikistan and
had visas issued at Afghanistan's [non-Taleban] embassy in Dushanbe
and other documents allowing them to cover the developments in
Afghanistan.
"A spokesman for Tajik security services told ITAR-TASS that Russian
border guards were investigating the incident. He said Tajikistan's
Security Ministry and Russian border guards, who serve at the Tajik-
Afghan border for years, have `no claims to journalists'.
"Tajikistan's Foreign Ministry and Russia's ambassador Maksim
Peshkov have been informed about the incident.
"Sources in Dushanbe told ITAR-TASS that one of the Northern
Alliance's leaders, General Mohammad Fahim, knows that journalists
were not allowed into Afghanistan.
"An ITAR-TASS correspondent reported from the border that
Afghanistan's representative, who called himself Sayed Ahmad, came
to the check-post and said `there are suspicious persons among the
journalists in the column, and we are investigating this
circumstance'," the ITAR-TASS report concluded.
Foreign journalists reported captured by tribesmen
As many as 30 foreign correspondents were taken hostage on 21
October by unidentified tribesmen north of Kabul as they were trying
to enter the Afghan capital, the Iranian news agency IRNA reported
on 22 October. The IRNA report went on:
"The Islamabad-based Pakistan Observer reported on Monday that the
group of journalists had sneaked into to Afghanistan from the
Uzbekistan border in connivance with Northern Alliance forces.
"The newspaper said they are reported to have crossed the Alliance-
controlled areas without any major difficulty, but fell prey to the
tribesmen who control the north of Kabul, little short of the
Taleban front lines.
"The journalists include war correspondents from the USA, Britain,
Russia, Germany, Middle East and France, the paper added.
"The development, the daily stated, could trigger severe reaction
from the international community and hold a potential opening for a
political dialogue for the settlement of the Afghan-US crisis.
"Soon after landing from a helicopter, they were captured by the
tribesmen who demanded 100,000 dollars for their release, it
continued.
"A correspondent from Bulgaria managed to contact his country on
satellite to inform that they were being kept in bad shape."
Compiled by Foreign Media Unit, BBC Monitoring
Telephone +44 118 948 6261 e-mail: fmu@mon.bbc.co.uk
Source: BBC Monitoring research 23 Oct 01 (via DXLD 1-157)
Afghanistan: Media round-up 24 October 2001
Balkh radio
Radio Voice of Shari'ah of Balkh Province - the Taleban-controlled
provincial radio station based in the northern city of Mazar-e
Sharif - signed on as scheduled at 1230 gmt on 24 October for its
evening transmission; however, reception was very poor.
Because of technical reasons, BBC Monitoring could not confirm that
Balkh radio had signed on as scheduled for its 0230-0430 gmt morning
transmission earlier on 24 October.
Balkh radio could not be heard by BBC Monitoring for the first hour
after its scheduled sign-on at 1230 gmt on 23 October, owing to
technical reasons. Later on the 23rd, the radio was monitored in
progress from 1330 gmt until its scheduled sign-off at 1500 gmt.
The following is a selection of items from Balkh radio's Dari/Pashto
broadcasts between 1330-1500 gmt on 23 October:
- Report on military operations carried out in Ghowr Province.
- A thief was punished for his crime with lashes in Mazar-e Sharif.
- A meeting of intelligence officials was held on 23 October to
discuss measures to improve security.
- The department of promotion of virtue and prevention of vice held
a meeting and condemned US attacks on Afghanistan.
- The head of Balkh University yesterday met religious scholars in
Shahi District.
- Various meetings of officials, commanders, religious figures and
students to condemn the attacks by the USA and its allies on
Afghanistan.
- An interview with the Taleban governor of the strategically impor-
tant Jowzjan Province. He told people in the province not to worry
about the allied attacks and to continue their daily activities.
Mowlawi Mohebollah Akhondzada said Taleban fighters feel confident
of victory, whereas opposition groups have no political or military
presence in the north. He also said no foreign power has so far been
able to have a presence in Afghanistan.
- Songs in praise of the homeland: "We are Afghans. We sacrifice
ourselves for our homeland"; "We are the youths of homeland and
Islam is our honour"; "This is our intention - to rebuild our
homeland".
- Song in praise of jihad.
- A commentary saying said US public opinion on the allied attacks
on Afghanistan was changing. The commentary said even the US
administration has realized that it had rushed the whole campaign
against Afghanistan. It said the US should have found the true
culprits before hastily rushing and attacking Afghanistan.
Kabul radio still unheard by BBC Monitoring...
Reuters news agency says Kabul radio resumes broadcasting via mobile
transmitter
In a dispatch from Kabul on 24 Ooctober, Reuters news agency
reported that the Taleban had resumed broadcasting, after its radio
station in the capital was hit soon after the start of US air raids
on 7 October.
The agency quoted "an Information Ministry official" it identified
only as Nasiri as saying on the 24th that the Voice of Shari'ah had
resumed broadcasts "via a mobile transmitter with a one-kilowatt
capacity after its main transmitter in the eastern outskirts of
Kabul was destroyed by bombs".
"You can only hear it in Kabul and its programmes are for one hour
in the afternoon. The programmes consist of religious hymns and
news," Reuters quoted Nasiri as saying. The agency added no further
details.
US-run psychological operations "Information Radio" continues
BBC Monitoring continues to hear broadcasts on shortwave believed to
be directed to the people of Afghanistan. The broadcasts were heard
on 24 October during their scheduled times of 0030-0530 gmt and
later from their scheduled 1230 gmt sign-on.
US Department of Defense official comments on role of "PsyOps Radio"
The following is an excerpt from the transcript of a briefing at the
US Defence Department on 23 October by Rear-Adml John D. Stuffle-
beem, deputy director of operations for current readiness and
capabilities, US Joint Staff. The full text of the briefing with
accompanying slides and videos are on the Web at
http://www.defenselink.mil [previously summarised by gh here]
[Question] Can you talk to us about the psychological operations
part of this? Are you seeing any effect at all from the Commando
Solo broadcasts in terms of getting Taleban to lay down their arms,
or getting people who live in these areas to rise up against them?
And have those broadcasts changed? Are you still broadcasting the
radio messages that we heard, or are there - I understand during the
Bosnia and Kosovo operations there were regular programs, news
programs, that you did in addition to the more propaganda kind of
things that we've read in terms of encouraging people to give up..
[Stufflebeem] The last part of your question, I'll have to ask if we
can take that. I don't know what we're broadcasting. Commando Solo
is continuing to fly and to pass messages. [There is other
programming, to include local music, played during the broadcasts.]
We are hearing anecdotal reports that there are still defections,
that there are still those who are changing sides. I think that you
are reporting, or at least members of the press are reporting, those
who may have changed sides between the Northern Alliance and the
Taleban forces across from them. And that, as the secretary has
alluded before, is sort of the ilk of this area. You know,
Afghanistan is not so much a country as it is a frame of mind. These
are tribes, and the tribes and their leaders have allegiances that,
one, allow them to survive and to be able to flourish. And so I
think that when they are getting the message through these radios,
when they're getting the leaflets, or when they're seeing that the
tactical advantage is moving against them, they'll do what they need
to do to survive. And therefore, I think that - I'll use that as
anecdotal. We're not keeping any kind of a tally on that one...
Compiled by Foreign Media Unit, BBC Monitoring
Telephone +44 118 948 6261 e-mail: fmu@mon.bbc.co.uk
Source: BBC Monitoring research 24 Oct 01 (via DXLD 1-158)
Afghanistan: Media round-up 25 October 2001
Balkh radio
Radio Voice of Shari'ah of Balkh Province - the Taleban-controlled
provincial radio station based in the northern city of Mazar-e
Sharif - signed on as scheduled at 0230 gmt on 25 October for its
afternoon transmission; however, reception was very poor and was
unheard by 0400 gmt. The evening broadcast was heard signing on at
1230 gmt as scheduled.
The following is a selection of items from Balkh radio's Dari
/Pashto/Uzbek broadcasts between 0230-0430 gmt on 25 October:
- Recitation and interpretation of verses from the Koran.
- Patriotic songs.
- Sermon about observation of Islamic tradition
- News in Pashto (repeat of 24 October news)
- A commentary in Pashto and Dari saying US missiles deliberately
fail to hit military targets. (repeat of earlier commentary)
- Interview with (?an official) of northern Samangan Province about
the situation in the province
- News in Dari
- Advertisement for a quiz show at 1400 local time, 0930 gmt, Thurs-
day 25 October, in auditorium of Balkh University.
- Uzbek programme.
The following is a selection of items from Balkh radio news bulletin
in Dari at 1330 gmt on 24 October:
- [News in progress with very poor reception throughout the bulle-
tin] Report on meeting at the HQ of Balkh governor in which the
deputy governor in charge of administration took part.
- People held a meeting held in Jowzjan Province, and expressed
support for the Islamic Emirate and condemned US attacks.
- A meeting was held at Balkh university.
- A meeting was held in [placename indistinct] and US attacks were
condemned.
- Announcement by the Department of Promotion of Virtue and Preven-
tion of Vice calling on its members to attend a meeting on Thursday
25 October.
Balkh radio says US "deliberately" targeting civilians
Radio Voice of Shari'ah of Balkh Province broadcast a commentary in
Dari at 1340 gmt on 24 October saying that the US was "deliberately"
targeting Afghan civilians in air strikes.
"The attacks launched by the United States, which hit a hospital in
Herat Province and residential areas in the provinces of Kandahar,
Oruzgan, Nangarhar and Kabul proved that the United States has begun
war against the persecuted and defenceless people of Afghanistan.
This war could be called as a war of genocide against a nation," the
commentary said.
The commentary said that although the US "boasts about possessing
very precise equipment such as satellites and computers", it still
claims that missiles are accidentally missing their targets.
"It is more than three weeks now that the United States, contrary to
all ethical norms, is bombing the persecuted people of Afghanistan.
The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan asks all the people of the world
not to remain silent about this criminal actions, which the United
States is carrying out against the people of Afghanistan, and raise
their voice in protest," the commentary said.
The commentary said the United Nations should expose the "truth"
behind the US attacks on the Taleban and fulfil its humanitarian
duty to the people of Afghanistan.
Kabul radio still unheard by BBC Monitoring...
Reported Kabul radio "one-hour" broadcasts not heard by BBC
Monitoring
Kabul radio broadcasts reportedly scheduled for one hour in the
afternoon were not heard by BBC Monitoring.
Taleban's "temporary radio stations" unheard by BBC Monitoring
Five temporary radio stations that the Taleban - according to a
report in the Pakistani newspaper Jang on 22 October - have
reportedly set up were unheard by BBC Monitoring.
US-run psychological operations "Information Radio" continues
BBC Monitoring continues to hear broadcasts on shortwave believed to
be directed to the people of Afghanistan. The broadcasts were heard
on 25 October during their scheduled time of 0030-0530 gmt.
Relay of VOA/RFE to Afghanistan unheard by BBC Monitoring
No trace of any Voice of America (VOA) or Radio Free Europe (RFE)
programming was heard by BBC Monitoring on the announced frequency
of 980 kHz via the Information Radio platform.
Compiled by Foreign Media Unit, BBC Monitoring
Telephone +44 118 948 6261 e-mail: fmu@mon.bbc.co.uk
Source: BBC Monitoring research, 25 Oct 01 (via BBCM via DXLD 1-158)
Afghanistan : Media round-up 26 October 2001
"Old" radio transmitters in Kabul said targeted in US bombing
The US reportedly bombed "old" radio transmitters in Kabul on the
evening of 25 October, Al-Jazeera satellite TV channel reported.
At 0937 gmt on 26 October, Al-Jazeera's Kabul correspondent Taysir
Alluni, in a live dispatch, said US forces had targeted old radio
transmitters:
"The latest news is that the US aircraft continued to bomb Kabul
until less than an hour ago. A giant plane, we believe it to be a B-
52, threw several bombs on the Afghan capital one of which hit the
warehouse of the International Red Cross. Before that, we were on a
tour in the Afghan capital. The US bombing focused on old radio
transmitters all through the night. They fired three missiles at
them, one or two of which are believed to be cruise missiles that
came from outside of Afghanistan. In addition, we visited a village
and we saw for ourselves one of the destroyed homes where around
eight people died and eight others were wounded and taken to
hospitals."
The correspondent had earlier reported at 0813 gmt on 26 October:
"The bombing was accompanied by what we believe are cruise missiles
that targeted areas outside Kabul, and also parts inside Kabul. One
residential area, (?Makruryan), was attacked again.
The part of the neighbourhood where some old radio transmitters are
located was attacked this time. These transmitters have not been in
use for more than 10 years. However, these were hit by what is
believed to be cruise missiles, which inflicted heavy damage on the
nearby buildings. Some houses were destroyed and Al-Jazeera took
pictures of two girls that were killed, as well as a man who
apparently was killed while going to work..."
[At 0910 gmt on 26 October, Reuters reported from Kabul that the
Radio Voice of Shari'ah's newly installed mobile radio transmitter
with one-kilowatt capacity was destroyed by US bombing on 25
October.
Two days earlier, Reuters said the Radio Voice of Shari'ah had
resumed broadcasting via a mobile transmitter. The agency quoted "an
Information Ministry official" it identified only as Nasiri as
saying on the 24th that the Voice of Shari'ah had resumed broadcasts
"via a mobile transmitter with a one-kilowatt capacity after its
main transmitter in the eastern outskirts of Kabul was destroyed by
bombs". "You can only hear it in Kabul and its programmes are for
one hour in the afternoon. The programmes consist of religious hymns
and news," Reuters quoted Nasiri as saying. The agency added no
further details.]
Kabul radio still unheard by BBC Monitoring...
At 0130 gmt 26 October, Radio Voice of Shari'ah from Kabul in Pashto
and Dari was inaudible on the usual 657, 1107, 7080 kHz frequencies
for the whole duration of the news. It was impossible to ascertain
whether the bulletin was actually broadcast.
Balkh radio still heard by BBC Monitoring
Radio Voice of Shari'ah of Balkh Province - the Taleban-controlled
provincial radio station based in the northern city of Mazar-e
Sharif - signed on as scheduled at 0430 gmt on Friday 26 October for
its afternoon transmission; however, reception deteriorated and was
inaudible by 0630 gmt. Balkh radio was again heard signing on as
scheduled at 1230 gmt.
Balkh radio broadcast the following items in Pashto/Dari from 0430-
0630 gmt on 26 October:
- Recitation and interpretation of verse from Koran, sermons, a
religious quiz and singing.
- 0500 gmt news in Pashto:
The Taleban foiled an opposition offensive in Gospandi District of
Sar-e Pol Province [located next to Balkh Province]. (Reception
poor)
The coordinator of the northern zone and the governor of Balkh
Province received the chairman of Samangan's Province ulema council
for a meeting yesterday.
The chairman of the ulema council of the northern zone and the head
of the Department for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice
of Balkh Province held a meeting in a mosque in Balkh Province.
The head of the Department for the Promotion of Virtue and
Prevention of Vice chaired a meeting of imams of mosques.
Various meetings of administrative and university officials.
Danish group plans new radio station broadcasting to Afghanistan
Glenn Hauser's DX Listening Digest e-mail newsletter on 25 October
reported that a Danish group is planning to set up a new radio
station broadcasting from Pakistan to Afghanistan from December.
Following is text of the report by Stig Hartvig Nielsen from
Denmark: [as in DXLD 1-158]
US PsyOps broadcasts to Afghanistan continue
Information Radio was again observed by BBC Monitoring broadcasting
in Pashto and Dari on 8700 kHz from 0030 - 0219 gmt when the
broadcast abruptly ceased.
During a US Department of Defence press briefing on Thursday 25
October, Gen Richard B. Myers, chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of
Staff, said the US was continuing PsyOps broadcasts to Afghanistan
via Commando Solo aircraft.
Myers said: "...Our campaign against terrorism continues. Much of
yesterday's [Wednesday 24 October] efforts were again geared toward
degrading Taleban forces arrayed against opposition forces... We
also flew Commando Solo broadcast missions yesterday and conducted
several leaflet drops as well. Principally, these were in the north
and northeast regions of Afghanistan..."
Interview with US PsyOps radio PR officer
Lt Ed Shank, public affairs officer of the US 193rd Special Opera-
tions Wing (SOW), gave an interview to a DX journal on the frequen-
cies used for US PsyOps broadcasts to Afghanistan.
Commando Solo, the US Air Force's only airborne radio and TV broad-
cast mission, is assigned to the 193d SOW, the only Air National
Guard unit assigned to the Air Force Special Operations Command. The
193d operates its psychological operations mission from its base in
Harrisburg International Airport, Pennsylvania.
Following is text of the interview conducted by Hans Johnson, Cumbre
DX Special on 24 October; published in Glenn Hauser's DX Listening
Digest e-mail newsletter on 25 October: [as in DXLD 1-158]
Compiled by Foreign Media Unit, BBC Monitoring
Telephone +44 118 948 6261 e-mail: fmu@mon.bbc.co.uk
Source: BBC Monitoring research, 26 Oct 01 (via BBCM via DXLD 1-159)
Nice of them to quote us, but why not also CRW`s Turkmenistan
theory/scoop? (G.Hauser-USA in DXLD 1-159)
Afghanistan : Media round-up 27 October 2001
Balkh radio still heard by BBC Monitoring
Radio Voice of Shari'ah of Balkh Province - the Taleban-controlled
provincial radio station based in the northern city of Mazar-e
Sharif - signed on as scheduled at 0230 gmt on Saturday 27 October
for its afternoon transmission; however, reception deteriorated and
was inaudible by 0300 gmt. Balkh radio was again heard signing on as
scheduled at 1230 gmt.
Balkh radio broadcast the following items in Pashto/Dari from 0230-
0430 gmt on 27 October:
- Religious programming including sermons, and recitations and
interpretation of verse from the Koran
- A patriotic song praising Afghan warriors.
Kabul radio still unheard by BBC Monitoring
The Taleban radio station, Radio Voice of Shari'ah from Kabul, has
remained unheard by BBC Monitoring since Monday 8 October. Radio
Voice of Shari'ah from Kabul, which is usually on the air from 0130-
0400 and 1230-1800 gmt, has not been heard on any of its three
frequencies - 657 kHz and 1107 kHz mediumwave and 7085 kHz (variab-
le) shortwave - since 1610 gmt on 8 October.
US PsyOps broadcasts to Afghanistan continue
Information Radio was again observed by BBC Monitoring broadcasting
in Pashto and Dari on 8700 kHz from 0030 - 0530 gmt on 27 October.
During a US Department of Defence press briefing on Friday 26
October, Rear Adm John D. Stufflebeem, Joint Staff, said the US on
25 October flew several Commando Solo broadcast missions. Stuffle-
beem said the US dropped leaflets across the northern region near
the cities of Mazar-e Sharif (Balkh Province) and Sheberghan
(Jowzjan Province); and near the southern Taleban stronghold of
Kandahar.
Al-Jazeera TV airs statement by Taleban leader
Al-Jazeera satellite TV carried a taped statement by Taleban leader
Mola Mohammad Omar calling for worldwide demonstrations against the
US-led attacks on Afghanistan.
The Qatar-based station at 1621 gmt on 26 October broadcast a three-
minute recorded statement by Taleban leader Mola Mohammad Omar, read
by Taleban spokesman Mola Ahmad Khan.
According to the statement, which was addressed to "Muslims and non-
Muslims", "the factors of terrorism are the following four coun-
tries: America, Russia, India, and Israel".
In his statement Mola Omar called on his supporters throughout the
world to stage demonstrations during "the next 72 hours" to express
their support for the movement and to condemn the US raids on
Afghanistan.
The statement said: "...If Muslims in the world share my viewpoint,
then they should stage demonstrations in squares within the next 72
hours... Non-Muslims who share my viewpoint must show this within 72
hours in front of the entire world. If the Muslims agree with this
viewpoint and if there is an iota of faith in their hearts, then
they must go out and express their position. God is the source of
success."
Taleban to try French reporter for spying "in a few days time" -
agency
The Taleban said on 27 October arrested French journalist for Paris
Match magazine, Michel Peyrard, will tried for espionage "in a few
days time".
A Taleban spokesman told the Afghan Islamic Press news agency in
Jalalabad that investigations were complete and that Peyrard was due
to appear in court on charges of espionage.
"He has been charged with several offences. The most important is
the charge of espionage, but the final decision will be made by the
court," the spokesman said.
He added that it had not yet been decided if Peyrard, who was
arrested on 9 October, would stand trial in Kabul or Jalalabad.
The spokesman said investigations were still continuing into the
case of the Japanese journalist Daigen Yanagida, arrested earlier
this week in Konar Province. He added that the journalist was in
good health.
Compiled by Foreign Media Unit, BBC Monitoring
Telephone +44 118 948 6261 e-mail: fmu@mon.bbc.co.uk
Source: BBC Monitoring research, 27 Oct 01 (via DXLD 1-160)
Aghanistan : Media round-up 28 October 2001
Balkh radio still heard by BBC Monitoring
Radio Voice of Shari'ah of Balkh Province - the Taleban-controlled
provincial radio station based in the northern city of Mazar-e
Sharif - continues to be observed on its usual frequency of 1584 kHz
mediumwave. On Sunday 28 October the radio's morning broadcast
commenced at 0250 gmt, some 20 minutes later than usual, and faded
out a few minutes later, possibly because of poor reception
conditions. The evening broadcast commenced at its schedule time of
1230 gmt. The 1330 gmt news bulletin in Pashto contained the
following items:
1. The coordinator of the northern zone, governor of Balkh Province,
attended a meeting of the clan and tribe council of the general
department for borders affairs of the northern zone today.
2. At the proposal the department of mines and industries and with
the approval of the esteemed body of northern zone, some new
appointments have taken place in the general department of mines and
industries of the northern zone.
3. The rector of Balkh Province has visited various departments of
Balkh Province medical institute.
5. A meeting of the administrative and technical council of the
fertilizer and electricity generating plant was held at the general
department of mines and industries today.
6. Ulema and elders and people's representatives from various
villages of Charbolak District held a meeting yesterday to condemn
the attacks on our country by America and its allies.
7. Announcements
8. Songs
Kabul radio still unheard by BBC Monitoring
The Taleban radio station, Radio Voice of Shari'ah from Kabul, has
remained unheard by BBC Monitoring since Monday 8 October. Radio
Voice of Shari'ah from Kabul, which is usually on the air from 0130-
0400 and 1230-1800 gmt, has not been heard on any of its three
frequencies - 657 kHz and 1107 kHz mediumwave and 7085 kHz (variab-
le) shortwave - since 1610 gmt on 8 October.
US PsyOps broadcasts to Afghanistan continue
Information Radio continues to be observed by BBC Monitoring
broadcasting in Pashto and Dari on 8700 kHz from 0030-0530 and 1230-
1730 gmt. On 28 October, the 1230 gmt broadcast was also heard in
parallel on 864 kHz. The third announced frequency, 1107 kHz, has
not yet been observed.
US PsyOps radio warns Afghans not to confuse food drops, bombs
US psychological operations Information Radio at 0030 gmt on 28
October broadcast a message warning Afghans of the danger of
confusing food drops with cluster bombs, both of which are yellow.
The message, broadcast in Dari and then in Pashto, said that cluster
bombs would not be dropped in the same areas as food parcels and
should in most cases explode on impact with the ground, but that
people should still be aware of the difference in appearance.
"Attention noble Afghan people. As you know the coalition countries
have been air-dropping daily humanitarian rations for you," the
message began.
"The food ration is enclosed in yellow plastic bags. They come in
the shape of rectangular or long squares. The food inside the bags
is Halal and very nutritional," it added.
It said that the cluster bombs, although the same colour, were
cylindrical in shape.
"In areas away from where food has been dropped, cluster bombs will
also be dropped. The colour of these bombs is also yellow. All bombs
will explode when they hit the ground, but in some special
circumstances some of the bombs will not explode. The cluster bombs
are 6 cm in diameter and 16 cm in length and they are cylindrical in
shape."
"Of course in future cluster bombs will not be dropped in areas
where food is air dropped. However, we do not wish to see an
innocent civilian mistakes the bombs for food bags and takes it away
believing that it might contain food...
"Therefore, we would like you to take extra care and do not touch
yellow-coloured objects thinking that they might be food bags.
"This issue is highly important especially in areas where bombs have
been dropped. You should not forget and take additional care. Do not
mix the cylinder-shaped bomb with the rectangular food bag," the
message concluded.
Spaniard working for Al-Jazeera TV "under surveillance"
A Spanish national now working for Qatari Al-Jazeera television was
under police surveillance when he worked in Spain because of his
suspected links with radical Islamists, according to a report in the
Madrid daily El País web site on 28 October.
The report said that "Taysir Alluni, the Spanish journalist who is a
correspondent for the Arabic television network Al-Jazeera, "was
spied on by the Spanish police for over a year because of his
suspected relations with men belonging to the Jihad, according to
police sources. His telephone was tapped under a court warrant and
executives of [the Spanish news agency] EFE, where he worked in
Granada, were informed of the surveillance. Alluni complains that
there is a desire to discredit his work as a journalist."
"Alluni, 55, of Syrian origin and Spanish nationality, the only
journalist who has managed to enter the impregnable news bunker of
the Taliban regime, was the object of a thorough and probing police
investigation during his time in Spain, up to February 2000, when he
was working for the Arabic translation service of the EFE news
agency in Granada, his adopted city, where Fatima, his wife, and his
four children, all Spanish, live."
"From his office in Kabul, the journalist responds to the report of
police surveillance thus: "I don't care if they tapped my phone. I
didn't care before and I don't care now either. The police are doing
their job and I am grateful to them because they are working to keep
the country safe. If they have tapped the phones of ministers and of
the king, why wouldn't they tap mine? I am not concerned at all".
The Al-Jazeera correspondent in Kabul stresses that he is only doing
his job and he says: "Many are seeking to discredit us. They want to
nullify our work, to discredit the war damage we show every day.
What the police say about me as an assault and is defamation. We
will study legal measures. All of this smells bad to me. Why is it
being reported now?" he asks."
Compiled by Foreign Media Unit, BBC Monitoring
Telephone +44 118 948 6261 e-mail: fmu@mon.bbc.co.uk
Source: BBC Monitoring research 28 Oct 01 (via DXLD 1-161)
Afghanistan : Media round-up 29 October 2001
Balkh radio still heard by BBC Monitoring
Radio Voice of Shari'ah of Balkh Province - the Taleban-controlled
provincial radio station based in the northern city of Mazar-e
Sharif - continues to be observed on its usual frequency of 1584 kHz
mediumwave. On Monday 29 October the radio broadcast as scheduled
from 0230 - 0530 gmt and signed on at the scheduled time of 1230
gmt.
Balkh radio broadcast the following items in the Pashto news
bulletin at 0330 gmt, and repeated in Dari and Uzbek, on 29 October:
- The governor of Balkh Province attended a meeting of the council
of representatives from the northern zone recently.
- Several new appointments have taken place in Balkh mine industry.
- The rector of Balkh Province University visited the Balkh Province
medical institute.
- Ulema and elders of Charbolak District and representatives from
various villages held a meeting to condemn attacks carried out by
America.
- A meeting of the administrative and technical council was held
today.
- Commentary: For the last two nights, the BBC and Voice of America
(VOA) have been reporting comments by the chief of the British naval
forces to the effect that the war may continue for at least four
years in Afghanistan.
Kabul radio still unheard by BBC Monitoring
The Taleban radio station, Radio Voice of Shari'ah from Kabul, has
remained unheard by BBC Monitoring since Monday 8 October. Radio
Voice of Shari'ah from Kabul, which is usually on the air from 0130-
0400 and 1230-1800 gmt, has not been heard on any of its three
frequencies - 657 kHz and 1107 kHz mediumwave and 7085 kHz (variab-
le) shortwave - since 1610 gmt on 8 October.
US PsyOps broadcasts to Afghanistan continue
Information Radio continues to be observed by BBC Monitoring
broadcasting in Pashto and Dari on 8700 kHz upper sideband mode from
0030-0530 gmt. It was also heard signing on as scheduled at 1230
gmt. On Monday 29 October, the parallel mediumwave frequency 864 kHz
was not heard. The mediumwave frequency 1107 kHz has not yet been
observed.
Portuguese TV team enters Taleban-controlled territory
On 28 October, a crew from Portugal's RTP Internacional TV
reportedly entered Taleban-controlled territory near the eastern
city of Jalalabad.
The following day, RTP correspondents Hernani Carvalho and Nuno
Patricio filed a live dispatch from mountains near Jalalabad in
Afghanistan. Carvalho reported on the Taleban reaction to the US
bombing:
[Carvalho] ...As you can imagine there is fierce anger, I can't
think of another term, against most Westerners. In fact for many
Taleban, who are manifestly ignorant of anything other than their
reality, anyone who does not come from this area of the globe, any
Western person is an American. Their reaction to the bombings is a
bad one obviously. But most of them are in hiding. The Taleban have
re-armed the population. As is known when they took power they took
away people's weapons because there was chaos in Afghanistan. But
now for defence, they have re-armed certain people, to whom they
give specific missions. The men we were with are in charge of the
mountainous perimeter surrounding the city of Jalalabad.
Compiled by Foreign Media Unit, BBC Monitoring
Telephone +44 118 948 6261 e-mail: fmu@mon.bbc.co.uk
Source: BBC Monitoring research, 29 Oct 01 (via DXLD 1-162)
Afghanistan . Media round-up 30 October 2001
Balkh radio still heard by BBC Monitoring
Radio Voice of Shari'ah of Balkh Province - the Taleban-controlled
provincial radio station based in the northern city of Mazar-e
Sharif - continues to be observed on its usual frequency of 1584 kHz
mediumwave. On Tuesday 30 October the radio broadcast as scheduled
from 0230 - 0530 gmt and signed on at the scheduled time of 1230
gmt.
Balkh radio broadcast the following items in Dari, Pashto and
Turkmen from 0230 to 0430 gmt on 30 October:
- News in Pashto (Repeat)
1. The coordinator of the northern zone and governor of Balkh
Province met separately the commander of the 19th military division
and the security commander of Balkh Province yesterday.
2. The head of the Department of Mines and Industry of the northern
zone and the head of the fertilizer and power plants of Balkh
Province met officials of the Pol-e Khomri Ghori cement and textile
factories.
3. The chairman of the Department for Martyrs and Refugee Affairs of
Balkh Province received a number of officials from aid organizations
in his office yesterday.
4. The head of the Department for the Promotion of Virtue and
Prevention of Vice of Balkh Province met a number of people's
representatives from Mazar-e Sharif today.
- Commentary: Innocent people are being killed as a result of the US
strikes on Afghanistan. (Reception varies from poor to inaudible)
- Reports and interviews with displaced people about their problems.
- News in Dari (Repeat of Pashto where heard, reception poor),
followed by commentary. (unmonitorable)
- News in Turkmen.
Kabul radio still unheard by BBC Monitoring...
US PsyOps broadcasts to Afghanistan continue
Information Radio continues to be observed by BBC Monitoring
broadcasting in Pashto and Dari on 8700 kHz upper sideband mode from
0030-0530 gmt on Tuesday 30 October. It was also heard signing on as
scheduled at 1230 gmt. The parallel mediumwave frequency 864 kHz was
not heard. The mediumwave frequency 1107 kHz has not yet been
observed.
Al-Jazeera TV defends Afghan war coverage
Qatar's Al-Jazeera satellite TV on Monday 29 October defended its
coverage of the US attacks on Afghanistan.
Taysir Alluni, the Al-Jazeera correspondent in Kabul, told the
channel that the Taleban allowed him and his camera crew to film
whatever they liked, except military targets.
"We are free to videotape as we wish. It is Al-Jazeera's cameras
that videotape things and locations. Restriction only applies to
military sites," he said.
Alluni said the Al-Jazeera crew usually visited bombed districts of
Kabul without Taleban escorts, and that occasional escorts did not
interfere in their filming except when it came to military sites.
"Sometimes an escort from the Ministry of Information comes to show
us the location of districts that have come under bombardment. This
escort does nothing except stop us videotaping military targets.
With regard to civilian targets, we videotape there as we wish," he
said.
From Kandahar, Al-Jazeera correspondent Yusuf al-Shuli on 29 October
responded to a question that Al-Jazeera's Afghan coverage was seen
as biased. Al-Shuli said: "As you know, we receive information from
one source; namely the Taleban."
Al-Shuli was questioned on the reliability of Al-Jazeera's sources
of information were in Afghanistan. He said they were using
"responsible sources", adding that "they are officials in the
Taleban movement and in the Afghan government or authority".
Al-Shuli added: "As you know, there are no newspapers here, or, at
least, I do not see newspapers. There is no radio station, or, at
least, I do not listen to the radio and I do not understand the
Pashto language. Also, there are no independent parties or embassies
to provide us with information."
Al-Shuli added that "sometimes" the Al-Jazeera team filmed areas
that were destroyed without the knowledge of Taleban, "something
which has caused us embarrassment".
Compiled by Foreign Media Unit, BBC Monitoring
Telephone +44 118 948 6261 e-mail: fmu@mon.bbc.co.uk
Source: BBC Monitoring research, 30 Oct 01 (via DXLD 1-163)
--- TAZ and BBCM about Radio Mashad
Senden in alle Richtungen
Radio Maschhad, offiziell Teil des iranischen Staatsfunks, ist die
eigentliche "Stimme Afghanistans". Das Programm ist relativ kritisch
und seine Macher sind bei Taliban und Nordallianz akkreditiert
von Roland HOFWILER, TAZ (Berlin), 24. Oktober 2001
Wie heißt der populärste Radiosender Afghanistans? Es ist Radio
Maschhad aus dem Norden Irans. Das zumindest sagen die Flüchtlinge,
die in Pakistan stranden. Das bestätigen auch die 2,3 Millionen
afghanischer Exilanten im Iran. Für die Kämpfer der Nordallianz ist
Radio Maschhad eine wichtige Informationsquelle. Und sogar die
Auslandssprecher der Taliban in Pakistan loben die "umfangreiche
Berichterstattung und Ausgewogenheit" des Senders.
Nur: Wie können Radiomacher in Zeiten des Krieges wirklich ein
ausgewogenes Programm machen? Und wie sollte dies gerade in einem
Land gelingen, in dem es mit der Medienfreiheit - salopp formuliert
- alles andere als zum Besten steht? Radio Maschhad versucht immer-
hin den Spagat. Offiziell eine Lokalstation der offiziösen Stimme
der Iranischen Republik, ist der Sender längst die "Afghanistan-
stimme" des Iran geworden. Neben Persisch werden Programme auch in
den Landessprachen Afghanistans ausgestrahlt - fast rund um die Uhr.
Diesen Erfolg verdankt Radio Maschhad zwei Faktoren: Zum einen
verloren die westlichen Radiomacher seit Beginn des US-Luftkrieges
bei den Afghanen enorm an Glaubwürdigkeit, zum anderen genießt das
Auslandsprogramm gewisse Freiheiten, die iranischenMedien ansonsten
verwehrt sind.
Wie weit der Einfluss von Auslandssendern wie der Voice of America,
der BBC oder Radio France International tatsächlich schwindet,
bleibt allerdings Spekulation. Anscheinend stoßen jedoch die einst
im Land der Taliban populären Dienste aus dem Westen bei den Hörern
zunehmend auf Ablehnung. Konfrontiert mit US-Kampfjets am Himmel,
mit Bombenangriffen, Gerüchten über Massaker an Zivilisten, glauben
viele nicht mehr, was sie etwa bei der "seriösen BBC" hören.
In den "Afghanistanredaktionen" in London, Washington und Paris sind
sich die Journalisten längst bewusst, dass es mit der Übersetzung
und Bearbeitung von Beiträgen aus dem heimischen Sendepool in dieser
dramatischen Situation nicht getan sein kann. Doch ihnen sind die
Hände gebunden. Sie müssen politisch auf Linie bleiben, die Reden
der Großen dieser Welt unkommentiert ausstrahlen, deren "Friedens-
appelle" übertragen und die militärischen Aktionen als "traurige
Notwendigkeit" rechtfertigen. Eigene Recherchen sind für die
afghanischen Exiljournalisten kaum möglich. In den Fluren der
Redaktionen rumort es, die Unzufriedenheit über die eigene Bericht-
erstattung wächst. Doch die Intendanten - und hier und da die
Berater des Außenministeriums - haben das letzte Wort und scheren
sich wenig um die moralischen Bedenken im Auslandsdienst der
riesigen Sendeanstalten.
Bei Radio Maschhad ist vieles anders. Die Redakteure recherchieren
in alle Richtungen, übernehmen von der BBC oder der Stimme Amerikas,
was sie für wichtig halten, bedienen sich des umfangreichen Mate-
rials aus der islamischen Welt und haben - weiterhin von der Weltöf-
fentlichkeit ignoriert - eigene Teams im Kampfgebiet: Radio-Masch-
had- Reporter gehen mit Kämpfern der Nordallianz an die Front, sind
gleichzeitig aber auch im Land der Taliban präsent.
Politisches Geheimnis
Wie es den Iranern gelingen konnte, in beiden Lagern respektiert zu
werden, das bleibt vorerst ein politisches Geheimnis. Die iranische
Regierung zumindest stellt sich offiziell klar hinter den "gerechten
Kampf" der Nordallianz gegen die Taliban. Teheran verschleiert
allerdings auch nicht, dass in einer künftigen Friedensordnung das
Taliban-Regime mitvertreten sein müsse.
Außerdem gewährt die islamische Führung dem ehemaligen afghanischen
Kriegsherrn Gulbuddin Hekmatjar weiterhin Exil. Der ehemalige
Kabuler Machthaber, den die Taliban 1996 verjagten, hat mehrfach
angekündigt, er werde bei einer Besetzung Afghanistans - egal ob
durch Amerikaner oder Russen - den bewaffneten Kampf gegen die
Okkupanten zusammen mit den Taliban und der Nordallianz aufnehmen.
Was immer man von den Spinnereien eines Hekmatjar halten mag, er und
andere lokale Kriegsgrößen bringen Farbe in das Programm von Radio
Maschhad - und machen den Sender populär.
Es ist die Mischung aus Reportagen, Interviews und Analysen, die
ankommt. Reporter von Radio Maschhad sind an Ort und Stelle, wenn
die Amerikaner ein anscheinend ziviles Wohnhaus zerstörten, sie
sprechen mit Flüchtlingen, die an der afghanisch-pakistanischen
Grenze festsitzen, sie befragen Politiker aus allen ideologischen
Lagern, wie die Not der Menschen gelindert und eine diplomatische
Lösung für Afghanistan gefunden werden könnte. In Diskussionsrunden
werden auch so heikle Fragen aufgeworfen, ob der Iran den Amerika-
nern unter gewissen Umständen helfen sollte, den Gotteskrieger Bin
Laden aufzuspüren und an ein UNO-Gericht auszuliefern. - Thematisch
wird kein Tabu verschont.
USA verdammt
Doch Radio Maschhad versteht sich trotz aller kritischer Beiträge
stets als ein Sender der islamischen Welt. Die westliche Kultur wird
angeprangert, die vermeintliche Vorherrschaft der USA verdammt, die
Einheit aller Muslime gefordert. Für europäische Ohren klingt es
unfassbar, wie hier das Existenzrecht Israels bestritten und die
Gefahr einer Unterjochung der islamischen Welt durch die westliche
Staatengemeinschaft beschworen wird.
Doch die Art und Weise, wie die Radiomacher ihre Botschaft über-
mitteln, entspricht offenbar dem Denken und Fühlen der Menschen im
kriegsgeschüttelten Land. An Radio Maschhad kommt also kein west-
licher Sender vorbei, wenn er künftig ein populäres Radioprogramm
für die Menschen in Afghanistan auf die Beine stellen will - aber
vielleicht hat man den Kampf um die Hörergunst ja auch einfach schon
aufgegeben.
( via http://www.taz.de/pt/2001/10/24/a0138.nf/text )
Mashhad radio anounces new Tajik schedule |
Text of report by Iranian radio from Mashhad on 24 October
From 28 October, the wavelength of Sado-e Khorasan [Voice of Khora-
san - Mashhad radio]'s Tajik service programmes will be changed. You
will be able to hear our programmes in the mornings from 0600 to
0730 [Dushanbe time, 0100-0230 gmt] on the 49-metre shortwave band
on 5950 kHz and in the evenings from 2100 to 2230 Dushanbe time
[1600-1730 gmt] on the mediumwave band on 720 kHz and on the 49-
metre shortwave band on 5950 kHz.
Source: Voice of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Mashhad, in Persian
1600 gmt 24 Oct 01 (via BBCM via DXLD 1-158)
--- BBCM on Radio Pakistan Nawa-e Dost
Radio Pakistan Nawa-e Dost.
Main Studio: Peshawar.
Media Provider: Pakistan Broadcasting Corporation.
Date of Issue: 24-Oct-2001 10:21.
Last Modified: 23-Oct-2001 14:01.
Comments: This service for listeners in Afghanistan was inaugurated
on 12 October 2001. It is broadcast via Radio Pakistan's 300-kW
mediumwave transmitter in Peshawar. A shortwave frequency has also
been announced but has not been confirmed.
Languages: Dari, Multilingual, Pashto;
Translated Name: Sound of a Friend.
Address: Nawa-e Dost, Radio Pakistan, PO Box 64, Peshawar, Pakistan.
1800-1900 Daily MULTILINGUAL As Ter: 0.540
(DARI/PASHTO)
(BBCM Oct 24, 2001 condensed for DXLD 1-158)
--- USA are looking for a voice in Arab world
Bush Wants More VOA Broadcasts to Afghanistan, Arab World
By Jim Burns, CNSNews.com Senior Staff Writer, October 24, 2001
(CNSNews.com) - President Bush says Voice of America should play a
bigger role in getting America's message out to Afghanistan and the
rest of the Arab world, even though budget cuts have forced VOA to
make cutbacks in the past decade....
http://www.cnsnews.com/ViewNation.asp?Page=\Nation\archive\200110\NA
T20011024d.html
(via Petro, DXLD 1-158)
U.S. looks for a voice in Arab world
By MARY JACOBY © St. Petersburg Times, published October 22, 2001
A proposed Middle East Radio Network would expose millions to
American ideas and culture.
WASHINGTON -- The United States spends hundreds of millions of
dollars a year trying to crack open closed societies by broadcasting
news reports to citizens isolated from a free press.
Yet the Middle East, of all places, can't hear the Voice of America.
The signals of the U.S. government-funded international broadcasting
service are too weak to be heard clearly over shortwave radio in 22
Arab countries from Morocco to Jordan. It has virtually no listeners
among Palestinians in Israel or the people of Egypt, Saudi Arabia,
Qatar and Lebanon -- countries where anti-American invective
regularly appears in government-owned media.
The destruction of the World Trade Center, the flame-scorched crater
in the Pentagon, and four hijacked airliners have convinced
Washington policymakers that the United States needs to end this
silence.
Much of the Arab media "daily depict the United States as a force
for evil, accusing this country of an endless number of malevolent
plots against the world," House International Relations Committee
Chairman Henry Hyde, R-Ill., said at an Oct. 10 hearing.
"How is it that the country that invented Hollywood and Madison
Avenue has such trouble promoting a positive image of itself
overseas?" Hyde asked.
The Broadcasting Board of Governors -- the independent agency that
oversees the Voice of America and is supposed to protect its news
operations from political influence -- has asked Congress for $30-
million to build FM and AM transmitters in Jordan and Cyprus and to
fund a new Middle East Radio Network.
"The Middle East Radio Network will expose the future leaders of the
Arab world to American ideas, values and culture," said Rep. Howard
Berman, D-Calif., a major backer of the project.
The proposed service would be aimed at young people whose ideas of
America may not yet be set in stone. "The battle for the 11-year-old
mind," as Undersecretary of State for Public Diplomacy Charlotte
Beers, a former advertising executive, described it to the
International Relations Committee.
The service would be hip and modern, including call-in shows and
music, and air around the clock in more accessible FM and AM as
opposed to the current seven hours a day now broadcast to the Middle
East by the Voice of America on shortwave.
But there is a formidable hurdle: Sen. Jesse Helms.
Angry over a snub by the Voice of America's governing board, the
Senate Foreign Relations Committee's top Republican signaled in an
Oct. 4 letter to President Bush that he will oppose creation of the
Middle East Radio Network.
The dispute is not likely to find a quick resolution, because Helms'
objections go beyond this particular project to the very philosophy
that has underpinned Voice of America for a quarter century.
A propaganda arm of the United States during World War II and most
of the Cold War, the Voice of America's mission changed in 1976,
when President Gerald Ford turned it into an objective news-gathe-
ring organization with the mission of getting information into
closed societies -- and letting the people there make up their minds
about the United States.
Today, the Voice of America employs 800 journalists from countries
around the world who reach an estimated 91-million people in 53
languages. It has also expanded from radio to satellite television
and Internet operations.
But some conservatives, as Helms put it in his letter to Bush,
believe "it should not be broadcasting ideas contrary to American
interests and values in the strained name of 'balance.' "
Helms and other conservatives were inflamed by the service's
decision to air parts of an interview with Taliban leader Mullah
Mohammed Omar on Sept. 25. The interview was broadcast into
Afghanistan in the native Pashto and Dari languages.
The service has defended its Omar interview.
But it acknowledges a mistake in airing comments the day after the
terrorist attacks from Yasir al Serri, identified in a report from
London as "a leader of Egypt's largest Islamist group, the Gama'a
Islamiyya," without mentioning that the group claimed responsibility
for the massacre of 58 foreign tourists in Luxor in 1997.
"It's not wrong to be sure that something we're paying for as tax-
payers is being used to further our ideals," Rep. Dana Rohrabacher
said.
"Some people might call it censorship. It's not," said the Califor-
nia Republican, who in the 1980s spent time in Afghanistan observing
the Islamic mujahedeen fighting to expel the Soviets.
But there are signs the conservatives will lose this debate. Robert
Reilly, a former editorial writer for the Voice of America and known
for his conservative views, is the new director of the service,
appointed by Bush at Helms' behest.
Reilly said he would not have censored the Omar interview, though he
would have edited it differently to convey more of Bush's views on
the war.
"I don't think you can intelligently discuss an issue without
presenting both sides," Reilly said. "We're trying to reach an
intelligent audience that is going to have an influence over the
future of their country. We're not going to talk to them like
they're children."
In response to Bush's declared war on terrorism, the Voice of
America has expanded its shortwave broadcasts into Afghanistan to 2
hours and 15 minutes a day for each of the south Asian country's two
main native languages. A Voice of America survey showed that 80
percent of males in Afghanistan regularly listen to its reports.
The Pashto-language broadcast reaches the Pashtun ethnic group in
the south, from which the Taliban draws most of its support. A Dari-
language broadcast reaches the north, where rebels fighting the
Taliban are based.
On a recent afternoon, Spozhmai Maiwandi, head of the Pashto
service, sat with headphones over her long black hair in a studio in
the anonymous government building at the foot of Capitol Hill that
houses the Voice of America.
Speaking into a microphone, she narrated news reports from the
Pentagon, White House and Congress. Snippets of audio from Defense
Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and Senate Minority Leader Trent Lott were
aired in English, with Pashto translation in a voice-over.
In Afghanistan, it was 11 p.m.
Maiwandi and most of the 11 other Pashto speakers who work for the
Voice of America fled Afghanistan during the 1980s conflict with the
Soviet Union.
"My family in Kabul have seen so much bombing from the Soviet era,"
producer Khan Alami said, swiveling his chair as he kept an eye on
Maiwandi through the glass window of the control room.
"Those people were blindly shooting everyone. This time it is not
like that," said Alami, 50, a former Peace Corps adviser clad in
loafers and a white cotton sweater.
But the Voice of America's Pashto-speaking journalists suffer an
image problem in some Washington quarters. Because they came to the
U.S. as refugees of the Soviet conflict and never lived under the
Taliban's repressive Islamic regime, they are perceived as
sympathetic toward the Taliban, which draws support from their
Pashtun ethnic group.
A Voice of America spokesman denied any bias, but the charge is one
of the arguments driving the politics behind another pet project of
conservatives: the reopening of Radio Free Afghanistan.
A California Republican, Rep. Ed Royce, has bipartisan support on
his bill to restart the service, which broadcast into Afghanistan
from 1985 to 1992.
The United States operates several "radio free" services for Europe,
Iraq, Kuwait and Asia that have a more overt advocacy element than
the Voice of America. All are overseen by the independent federal
Broadcasting Board of Governors.
With a $450-million budget, the Broadcasting Board of Governors
funds Voice of America's radio, Internet and satellite TV services;
the Radio and TV Martí services into Cuba; Radio Free Europe/Radio
Liberty; and Radio Free Asia.
Many conservatives feel the "radio frees" more actively promote
American values abroad than the Voice of America. This belief, in
turn, has spilled over into the political skirmishing that has
delayed creation of the Middle East Radio Network.
One of Helms' main objections to the proposed network is that the
Voice of America will give it a pro-Arab tilt in the name of
balancing the news, Helms aides say.
Helms also doesn't like that the network is the brainchild of Norm
Pattiz, a member of the Broadcasting Board of Governors, president
of the Westwood One commercial radio network and a major Democratic
Party fundraiser.
Suspicious of a project championed by a Democrat, Helms several
months ago placed an informal legislative "hold" on the broadcasting
board's request to spend $2-million to build a transmitter in
Cyprus.
But Republican members of the board support the proposed network as
well. And so on Sept. 30 the board voted 5-1 to defy Helms' wishes
and proceed with building the transmitter. For the moment, the
insult has caused Helms to dig in strongly against the network.
The impasse might eventually be resolved with a little legislative
wheeling and dealing, observers say. Give me Radio Free Afghanistan,
Helms might propose, and I'll give you the Middle East Radio Network
(via A.Bigley-USA in DXLD 1-158)
http://www.sptimes.com/News/102201/Worldandnation/US_looks_for_a_voice_.shtml
I take issue with one point: that VOA on SW is "too weak" in the
Middle East. I cannot believe that the 500 kW transmitters in
Greece, Sri Lanka, etc., put such a weak signal into the ME!
(G.Hauser-USA in DXLD 1-158)
------------xxxxxxxxxx Sources xxxxxxxxxx----------------------
Thanks to the following contributors : Andrea Borgnino, Claudio
Morales, Jürgen Lohuis, Patrick Smith, Roland Hofwiler, Yves
Sorokobi
Source Abbreviations:
ACH : Anti-Castro Historiography-USA
A-DX : A-DX-mailing list-Austria
BBCM : BBC Monitoring-UK
BCDX : Broadcast DX-Germany
CDX : Cumbre DX-USA
ConDig : Conexion Digital-Argentina
CRW : Clandestine Radio Watch-Germany
DXLD : DX Listening Digest-USA
EDXP : Electronic DX Press-Australia
HCDX : Hard-Core-DX-mailing list-USA
OBS : Observer-Bulgaria
PDX : Play DX-Italy
QIP : QSL Information Pages-Germany
TDP : Transmitter Documentation Project
TFW : The Four Winds Online-Italy
BBCM items are Copyright BBCM 2001.
______________________________________________________