Clandestine Radio Watch 090 Extra

--------------xxxxxxxxxx CRW 090 EXTRA xxxxxxxxxx--------------

CLANDESTINE RADIO WATCH                      Afghanistan Special
December 10, 2001

Clandestine Radio Watch (CRW) is a biweekly summary which centrali-
zes the latest news and developments affecting the study of clan-
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Takuya Hirayama, Tokyo       : hirayama@clandestineradio.com

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------------xxxxxxxxxx Breaking News xxxxxxxxxx----------------

AFG : US Information Radio starts to bc in Arabic

...............................................................

AFG : US Information Radio starts to bc in Arabic

US Information Radio: As the situation in Qandahar deteriorates, US
Information Radio started to broadcast messages in Arabic too, along
with Dari and Pashto. The messages are targeted to people in Kanda-
har. Obviously, the Arabic messages are aimed at "Foreigners" in
Taliban faction.

I will send you detailed information as soon as I finish the trans-
lation.
(T.Hirayama-JPN Dec 8, 2001 for CRW)

------------xxxxxxxxxx Schedules xxxxxxxxxx--------------------

Schedules - AFGHANISTAN

Radio Voice of Afghanistan

1330-1430 Daily       MULTILINGUAL         AsDom        Ter: 9.950
                      (DARI/PASHTO)
(BBCM Nov 28, 2001 condensed for DXLD 1-185)


Re : The transmitting site of this broadcast is Samara in Russia
with 200 kW of power according to the information given by ITU
frequency list. (T.Hirayama-JPN Nov 28, 2001 for CRW 089 Extra)

Correction : The source to the above information was of course a
HFCC frequency list, not one by the ITU. Sorry for the error. CRW.

------------xxxxxxxxxx Logs xxxxxxxxxx-------------------------

Logs - AFGHANISTAN

Information Radio

Information Radio, 8700 heard again on 12/3 although only briefly.
0142 tune with song by man, then talk and some pauses between phra-
ses. Brief music again at 0152 and nearly gone by 0155. Poor in
heavy QRM but still better than previous occasions.
(G.Dexter-WI-USA Dec 3, 2001 in DXplorer-ML)



Radio Voice of Afghanistan

During the last few days the AFG on 9950 does'nt seem as strong as
it was - it's peaking to about S9, dropping to 5, currently. Perhaps
some adjustments have been carried out - or have they shifted it to
somewhere else?
(N.R.Green-G BC-DX Nov 19, 2001 in BCDX 550)

Yes, seemingly changed from Maiac-Grigoriopol-MDA eastwards to Sa-
mara-RUS site.
(W.Büschel-D BC-DX Nov 19, 2001 in BCDX 550)

Propagationwise strong and clear audio on Wed, Thur, Sat, but weak
signal and muffeled audio on Fri. On Sat 24th, R VoAFG came on air
late at 1349 UT, and had few breaks til 1352 UT, when txion had been
stabiliziced. So, the transmission replaced the location from Nov 23
onwards from Maiac- Grigoriopol-MDA to Samara-RUS site. Started on
Nov 17th? from MDA.
(W.Büschel-D BC-DX Nov 24, 2001 in BCDX 550)

9950 R VoAFG at 1330 now was only fair and somewhat fluttery. This
seems to exclude both a nearby site like MDA and a semidistant site
like Samara. My guess is for Irkutsk as the new site. 9945 Falun
Dafa Radio at 2100 may also be from Irkutsk.
(O.Alm-S Nov 30, 2001 in BCDX 550)

Yes, I noticed also a signal strength decrease on 9950 in past 3
days, and also 'unclean' audio feder circuit, much worse than pre-
vious outlets from Maiac-Grigoriopol. MCB started R Voice of AFG on
Nov 16th via Maiac I guess, and lasted till Nov 22nd ... And I agree
MDA was too westerly, and a 9 MHz signal at 1330 UT would much bet-
ter propagate into AFG from Wolga river than from Pridnestrovya, or
even from Irkutsk.
(W.Büschel-D BC-DX Nov 29, 2001 in BCDX 550)

9950 kHz, R.VOICE OF AFGHANISTAN 1315-1430, Nov 29 At tune in a
number of times carrier on and off and then to tones at 1326 and
then stopped at 1328. 1329 a single tone hrd and at 1330 audio
started with possible NA and then to comments by male announcer.
Call to prayer. Id hrd at 1334 by same male announcer. Then to nx
items. All in what sounded like Pashto language. Nice signal level
of 10/s9. Fairly clear with some fades. Ids several times during the
broadcast and sgn off at 1430. Occassional drop outs during the
broadcast.
(R.Montgomery-PA-USA Nov 29, 2001 in DXplorer-ML)

9950 Radio Voice Of Afghanistan. Barely audible at 1330 sign-on, but
improving nicely to fair at 1350, and expect better yet by sign-off.
Afghan music and talk by male and female. Signal peak didn't
happen. Back down to poor to fair at sign-off.
(W.Salmaniw-CAN Dec 2, 2001 in CDX 376)

Checking 9950 virtually every day at least briefly around 1330, I
have not noted any great changes in signal, but since I started
hearing it on Nov 20, I have had the feeling it is from further east
than first reported, accounting for the signal more characteristic
of eastern Asia than Europe at this time period. However, the direct
off the back beam from Irkutsk toward Kabul would hit Hawaii, still
missing North America by a wide margin. I don`t usually notice much
polar flutter, but on Dec 7 at 1422 check, there was some. My NGS
globe with geometer shows that the direct great-circle path from
Irkutsk to Enid hits 80 degrees north at the Dateline. BTW, on that
date until 1427, there was a USB QSO between two southern-accented
guys using 9950 precisely as BFO, and they agreed to talk again the
next morning. Ever notice how practically all US two-way HF hams
and non-hams have southern or at least good-ole- boy accents?
(G.Hauser-OK-USA Dec 7, 2001 in DXLD 1-192)

9950 Radio Voice of Afghanistan *1330-1430* Dec.06 Sign-on with
tones, then National Anthem of Afghanistan, followed with clear ID's
for 'Da Afghanistan Ghaq Radio' (more anthem) then 'Da Afghan nasha-
rati moasesai wa'. Followed with open announcements, gave schedule.
Verse from the Holy book, Koran. Newscast about Afghanistan followed
at 1334, with headline and detailed news reports. Weather Forecast
and Commentary Review at 1345, reports from various newspapers such
as the NY Times and India Times. Afghan music played to finish off
the broadcast to 1358 closing notes, Stn ID, into opening anthem for
the Dari service. Opening comments, schedule followed with verse
from the Koran.Headline News ,weather Report, then report from Bonn
on peace talks . Closing selection of music, but off before closing
announcement or ID Excellent reception on this morning. I was able
to produce this tape at the local Immigrant Service, where Nasim, a
Transcribe/ Journalist who was [in ?] Kabul (Newspaper and Tele-
vision), and [is ?] in Canada since 1992, was able to translate this
broadcast.
(E.Kusalik-CAN Dec 8, 2001 in DXplorer-ML)

As for The Voice of Afghanistan, the station announced different
mailing addresses from what has been widely known among the DXers.
The station said that they have two mailing addresses, one is in
Kabul, and another is in London.
(T.Hirayama-JPN Dec 8, 2001 for CRW)

------------xxxxxxxxxx QSL Verifications xxxxxxxxxx------------

Qsl's - AFGHANISTAN

QSL from Voice of Afghanistan

After the tip from Andy Sennitt about The Voice of Afghanistan I
sent them an email reception report and got this answer after about
1 hour. They also sent the press release in an attachment :

"Dear Bjorn,

Thank you very much for your email. We shall be glad to send you a
letter confirming your reception but in the meantime, we attach our
press release for your information.

Thank you for your interest and report on Voice of Afghanistan.

Kind regards

Penny Munro
Voice of Afghanistan
Afghan Broadcasting Company"
(B.Fransson-S Nov 30, 2001 for CRW/QIP)

------------xxxxxxxxxx Miscellaneous xxxxxxxxxx----------------

Misc - AFGHANISTAN

--- Radio Voice of Afghanistan

You may think ORF`s DX program Intermedia is only in German, but we
found an interview with the founder of R. V. of Afghanistan, Mr.
Jalal, in English (since German apparently was not an option):
http://193.171.50.209:8080/ramgen/roi/intermedia/jalal.ra

When Wolf Harranth asked him about the transmitter site, Jalal said
it doesn`t matter whether it is now from "America, Russia, Europe,
or Oman," it is a free voice. Would like to operate from Afgha-
nistan itself, when security and non-censorship can be guaranteed.
Also has vague plans to add broadcasts in Arabic and English for
listeners outside Afghanistan. The SW transmission is handled by an
"international company". It took only a sesquimonth to plan the
operation and get it on the air
(G.Hauser-USA Dec 4, 2001 in DXLD 1-190)



--- BBCM about Radio Voice of Afghanistan

Source: Radio Voice of Afghanistan
Medium: Radio. Main Studio: London.
Category: External.
Country: United Kingdom.
Media Provider: Said Jalal Foundation (Afghan Broadcasting Company).
Date of Issue: 28-Nov-2001 12:16. Last Modified: 28-Nov-2001 12:15

Comments : Test transmissions from this radio station were first
reported on 17 November 2001. Its official launch was announced at a
press conference in London on 27 November 2001. A press release from
the station on 27 November stated that "The new radio station is the
voice of moderate Afghan political opinion and broadcasts news,
comment, interviews and music in both the Pashto and Farsi [Persian/
Dari] languages. The London-based team of Afghan journalists are
producing one hour a day of output to start the service and this
will quickly build to four hours a day over the next few weeks".

The press release added that "Voice of Afghanistan is a project
conceived and created by Said Jalal Karim [earlier reports had given
his name as Sayd Jalal Afghan], a 32-year old successful businessman
born in Afghanistan and now based in Saudi Arabia... the Said Jalal
Foundation funds the operation of the new radio station through a
non-profit making organisation, the Afghan Broadcasting Company".

The radio identifies as "Radio Voice of Afghanistan" (Dari: "Radio
Sada-e Afghanistan", Pashto: "Da Afghanistan Ghaq Radio"). The radio
is believed to broadcast via a hired shortwave relay transmitter in
the former Soviet Union.

Languages: Dari, Multilingual, Pashto. Tel: +44 (0)20 7382 9610.
Delivery Methods : Terrestrial

1330-1430 Daily       MULTILINGUAL         AsDom        Ter: 9.950
                      (DARI/PASHTO)
(BBCM Nov 28, 2001 condensed for DXLD 1-185)



--- RNMN about about Radio Voice of Afghanistan

Voice of Afghanistan

More details of this station were finally revealed this week when
Radio Voice of Afghanistan issued a press release to mark its offi-
cial launch. It turns out that they're based in London. For the
background and contact information, see our Afghanistan Dossier.
http://www.rnw.nl/realradio/html/afghanistan.html
(A.Sennit-HOL Dec 1, 2001 in Media-Network-ML)



--- 'New home -new life' or should the BBC replace the CIA ?

Britischer Vormarsch

Eine Radiosoap kam näher an die Afghanen als jeder Geheimdienst

Auch nach dem Sieg der so genannten Nordallianz weiss niemand, wie
sich die politische Zukunft Afghanistans gestalten wird. Vergessen
wird, dass die Gotteskrieger der Taliban früher schon einmal eine
empfindliche Niederlage erlitten: als sie vergeblich versuchten,
Nazir und Rabiya Gul, Rahimdad und Jandad mundtot zu machen.

Jedermann in Afghanistan kennt und liebt die Vier. Nazir, der sein
Geld als Wachmann verdient, ist ein ausgewachsener Tölpel: Neulich
steckte er im Übereifer den Heuhaufen eines Nachbarn in Brand.
Rabiya Gul ist so umtriebig, wie Frauen nun einmal sind, Jandad, der
ein Bein verlor, als er auf eine Landmine trat, hat Karriere als
Schneider gemacht und bei Rahimdad, dem Friseur, treffen sich die
Männer und tauschen Gerüchte aus. Sie alle leben in Bar-Killi, einem
typischen afghanischen Dorf.

Auf der Landkarte wird man Bar-Killi vergeblich suchen. Es ist der
fiktive Schauplatz einer Radio-Sendung mit dem Titel Naway Kor -
Naway Jwand (Neue Heimat - Neues Leben), die in Afghanistan von
mehr als 70 Prozent der Bevölkerung regelmässig gehört wird. Die
Sendung wird seit 1994 dreimal in der Woche morgens ausgestrahlt und
abends wiederholt. Jede Episode dauert 15 Minuten, hat in der Regel
etwa fünf Hauptszenen und zwei oder drei Mini-Plots. Es geht um den
Alltag der Afghanen, der voller Unwägbarkeiten und unliebsamer
Überraschungen ist.

Opium fürs Baby?

In die Spielhandlung sind praktische Ratschläge eingearbeitet: Wie
vermeidet man Landminen? Welches sind die ersten Anzeichen von
Cholera? Ist es eine gute Idee, in die Babynahrung Opium zu mischen?
Für viele Afghanen sind Nazir, Jandad & Co zum Bestandteil ihres
eigenen Lebens geworden, Lieder aus der Sendung werden auswendig
gelernt. Als Nazir sich auf Brautschau begab, meldeten sich viele
Väter,um die Vorzüge ihrer Töchter anzupreisen. Produziert wird die
Sendung von Shirazuddin Siddiqi, einem Afghanen, der früher
Theaterwissenschaft an der Universität Kabul unterrichtete.

Es war nicht der Taliban-Sender Radio Shariat, der Neue Heimat -
Neues Leben ausstrahlte, es ist eine westliche Station, der World
Service der BBC. Vorbild der afghanischen Soap Opera ist The
Archers, eine englische Rundfunkserie, die vor 50 Jahren zum ersten
Mal von der BBC produziert wurde. Die Dorfromanze wurde zu einem der
grössten Radio- Hits - und trug durch praktische Modernisierungs-
Tipps zur Steigerung der landwirtschaftlichen Produktivität bei.

Bar-Killi ist das afghanische Ãquivalent zu Ambridge, wo The Archers
spielt. Die Charaktere in beiden Sendungen sind beinahe austausch-
bar. Beide Serien werden von städtischen Zuhörern zumeist mit einer
gewissen Herablassung registriert: "Uns braucht man nun wirklich
nicht beizubringen, dass man sich vor dem Essen die Hände wäscht",
sagte ein Mann aus Kabul. Es dauerte eine gewisse Zeit, bis die
englischen Produzenten sich den Erwartungen der Hörer in Afghanis-
tan, einem Land der Geschichtenerzähler, angepasst hatten: in Bar-
Killi musste beispielsweise in jeder Episode mehr passieren als in
Ambridge.

Schneller als die CIA

Nach der Machtergreifung durch die Taliban im Jahr 1996 entschloss
sich die BBC, die Sendung im pakistanischen Peshawar zu produzieren
und von dort aus zu senden: in Dari, dem afghanisch-persischen
Dialekt und in Pashto, der Sprache der Paschtunen, die die stärkste
Bevölkerungsgruppe in Afghanistan bilden. Radio Pakistan strahlt
Neue Heimat - Neues Leben für die afghanischen Flüchtlinge im Lande
aus. Unter den Zuhörern sind besonders viele Frauen. Wie zufällig
wiederholt die BBC alle drei Wochenfolgen jeweils am Freitagnach-
mittag, wenn sich die Männer in der Moschee zum Gebet zusammen-
finden.

Nicht nur wegen der liberalen Einstellung gegenüber den Frauen war
Naway Kor - Naway Jwand den Taliban ein Ãrgernis. Auf die BBC waren
sie besonders sauer, als der Sender sehr kritisch über die Zerstö-
rung der Buddha-Statuen im Bamiyan-Tal berichtete. Die Taliban
spielten deshalb mit dem Gedanken, neben Zeitungen und Fernsehen
auch das Radiohören zu verbieten.

Ganz abgesehen davon, dass dann ihr eigener Propagandasender wir-
kungslos geworden wäre - das Verbot hätte zur Revolte geführt. Es
waren nicht zuletzt die einfachen Feldsoldaten, die sich wider-
setzten: Die Soap Opera der BBC war für sie eine willkommene Ab-
wechslung.

Als die Taliban Kabul verliessen, war es BBC-Korrespondent John
Simpson, der sich rühmte, die öffentliche Sendeanstalt habe vor den
Truppen der Nordallianz die Hauptstadt erreicht.

Das war sicher ein wenig grossspurig. Tatsache ist aber, dass die
Radiosoap der Briten wirksam war - und dass die westlichen
Geheimdienste in Afghanistan versagt haben. Vielleicht sollte man
als friedenssichernde Massnahme die CIA durch die BBC ersetzen.
(Süddeutsche Zeitung Stuttgart Nov 17, 2001 via www.radiohai.de via
M.Schöch-CRW)



--- Visit at Radio Balkh

Hi Glenn, yesterday`s Monitoring Service report quoted Radio Balkh
on a visit by two journalists. The Spanish reporter was no other
than Rafael Poch, Moscow correspondent for La Vanguardia, a news-
paper in Barcelona, Spain. Mr. Poch has been following this station
from Termez, Uzbekistan and, since last week from Mazar-i-Sharif. He
monitors the broadcasts with the help of a local interpreter (Pahsto
and Dari into Russian). Thanks to your daily digests, I have been
able to keep him updated also on Information Radio (Command Solo)
and the new station beamed presumably from Samara, Russian Federa-
tion. For your convenience, below comes the text of today`s article
about the visit, from:
http://www.vanguardia.es/cgi-bin/noticia.pl?dia=30_11&link=vb3010a&sec=ini
(E.Fernandez-SUI Nov 30, 2001 in DXLD 1-186)



La emisora de Mazar-i-Sharif emite ocho horas al día mientras los
redactores intentan borrar los letreros talibán

Radio Balj, en directo

La Vanguardia - - 04.00 horas - 30/11/2001
RAFAEL POCH, Mazar-i-Sharif. Enviado especial

Por alguna extraña razón, los americanos, que tanta prisa se dieron
en bombardear los estudios de Radio Kabul (y de paso, días más tar-
de, la oficina de la televisión árabe por satélite Al Jezira, que
tanto les importunaba), perdonaron la vida a la Voz de la Sharia, la
emisora talibán de Mazar-i-Sharif.

La radio tenía su sede en una casa de dos pisos muy cerca del centro
de la ciudad. Es una zona densamente poblada. Quizá hubo escrúpulos
ante la posibilidad de excesivos "daños colaterales". En cualquier
caso, Radio Balj -así se llamaba desde siempre la emisora antes de
la llegada de los talibán- ha podido heredar los estudios práctica-
mente intactos. La emisora de Mazar-i-Sharif fue la única de
Afganistán que no fue alcanzada por los bombardeos americanos.

"Los anteriores inquilinos se han llevado muchos aparatos, pero por
lo menos la casa y las antenas están intactas", dice Abdurrab Jahib,
el nuevo director de la Radiotelevisión Balj. La radio es un hecho y
ya emite ocho horas diarias. La tele es solamente una promesa: "Aún
no tenemos medios ni dinero", dice Jahib.

En la entrada de la sede, todavía se lee el letrero Radio Voz de la
Sharia (ley islámica). Los periodistas lo han intentado borrar con
cal, pero sólo han conseguido difuminar las letras, aún perfecta-
mente legibles.

Jahib me recibe con la plana mayor de la redacción, en la que tra-
bajan 40 personas. Le pregunto cómo han informado de la batalla de
la fortaleza de Kalai Jangi, donde, cuando mantuvimos la conver-
sación, continuaba la tenaz resistencia de un grupo de prisioneros
talibán que se amotinaron el domingo y fueron aplastados el martes.
"Nos limitamos a entrevistar al general Mohaquiq", dice citando al
jefe de las bandas hazaras de la ciudad, las más peligrosas.

"El general explicó que el acuerdo (alcanzado con los defensores de
Kunduz que capitularon) fue que entregarían las armas, pero que
algunos guardan granadas y las hacen explotar a la menor ocasión."
En uno de estos episodios, el sábado, un suicida logró llevarse por
delante a "dos generales" de la Alianza del Norte, al mismo tiempo
que hirió a una periodista británica. Lo del domingo en la fortaleza
aún colea y un periodista de Radio Balj (Balj es el topónimo de la
región a la que pertenece Mazar-i-Shairf), Najibulla Koraish, fue
herido mientras seguía en directo los combates, que acabaron con la
interevencion de los aviones americanos.

Jahib está absolutamente de acuerdo con la política contemporizadora
con los talibán practicada por el general Dustum. Reconoce que mu-
chos comandantes talibán locales, casi siempre pashtunes de esta
provincia de Balj cuyo centro es Mazar, simplemente se han afeitado
y se han pasado al nuevo amo. "Ya no son talibán", dice. "¿Qué pasa-
rá con los talibán ‘de fuera’?", me intereso. "Podrán regresar a
Kandahar en cuanto su identidad sea comprobada", asegura.

El director no menosprecia la capacidad de los talibán por dar guer-
ra, incluso después de que caiga su bastión de Kandahar, en el sur
de Afganistán. "Sus posibilidades de mantener una guerrilla en las
montañas dependen de que puedan seguir recibiendo ayuda y suminis-
tros del extranjero", pronostica con seguridad.

Los periodistas de la emisora no simpatizan con los estadounidenses
y apoyan a su director cuando afirma que "si las tropas extranjeras
se quedan mucho tiempo en Afganistán, no hay duda de que la pobla-
ción los verá como intervencionistas y se acabará revolviendo contra
ellos". Al mismo tiempo, Jahib no cree que los americanos cometan la
tontería de meter muchos soldados más en el país. "Sobre todo porque
no veo la necesidad militar de que lo hagan", dice.
(La Vanguardia via E.Fernandez-SUI Nov 30, 2001 in DXLD 1-186)



--- Kunduz Radio Drops Hard Talk for Easy Listening

Kunduz Radio Drops Hard Talk for Easy Listening

November 30, 2001
NYTimes.com Article: By C. J. CHIVERS

KUNDUZ, Afghanistan, Nov. 29 - Last month he was the voice of
militant Islam, Enayatelah Khaliq, news correspondent for Voice of
Shariat, the Taliban radio station found here at 1520 kilohertz on
the medium- wave dial.

During much of the four years that the Taliban occupied this city,
Mr. Khaliq lent his labor and his name to programs that the
militants required: Mohammed's Majesty, the Brightness of Islam, the
Garden of Mirrors and more. Each program echoed the Taliban's view
of the world in a 25-mile radius around the northern Afghan desert
and steppe.

This month Mr. Khaliq is the voice of the Northern Alliance,
broadcasting triumphant reports of the expulsion of Taliban soldiers
from Kunduz and the glory of the mujahedeen who have taken control.
At the end of this evening's one-hour broadcast he even offered
political commentary about the importance of democracy and civilian
rule.

Allegiances are malleable in Afghanistan, as was evidenced in the
final days of the battle for this city, when some Taliban units
simply switched sides. It is equally evident in the first moments of
peace at the only radio station in the city, which this week shed
its Taliban name and recast itself as the media arm of its patron's
former foe.

The rebirth of the station can be seen either as a testimony to
disloyalty or as an achievement of adaptability and resilience.

Mr. Khaliq, soft-spoken and bearded, was unapologetic about his old
duties, as were the other 15 members of the station's staff. "We
were compelled to work on the programs of the Taliban," he said. "We
didn't want to, but if we went against them we would have been
hurt."

The shift in loyalties and content at the Voice of Shariat changed
almost immediately after the first armored vehicles rolled through
the city's central square.

The radio station had been closed for about three weeks, during the
bombardment and siege of Kunduz Province. By Wednesday the employees
were organized enough to produce their first show, a mix of news and
music, which had been banned during the Taliban's rule.

Mr. Khaliq opened the hour with a welcome and blessing for the
Northern Alliance. "By the name of Allah, the most compassionate and
most merciful, hello to all the listeners of Kunduz, and congratula-
tions to the Northern Alliance for the victory against the Taliban,"
he said, later adding, "We reject the actions of the Taliban in the
previous years."

The show included long cuts to music, made possible when the staff
found bootleg audiocassettes of Afghan music in the city's market,
and bought four for $1 each.

Muhammad Yousofy, the station's director, smiled and nodded with
pride, remembering the mix of politics and music, the likes of which
had not been heard for four years. "It was a very good show," he
said. "Even if it was different for the kind of programs we are used
to."

The changes in allegiance here are in many ways a repeat of the
past. Radio-TV of Kunduz, the station's proper name, was built by
the Soviet Union during its occupation of the land from 1979 to
1989, when it broadcast Russian views, news and television. It
denounced its Russian master in 1989, at the end of Afghanistan's
jihad against the Soviets.

Now that the radio station is able to do a daily hour of program-
ming, Mr. Yousofy said the next step would be to repair the sta-
tion's television equipment, which is in poor condition, and begin
broadcasting stories in two media. "That is the goal," he said.
"We'd like to have some television running by next week."

He said that making two radio programs - one hour on Wednesday and
another today - was a feat.

The station is a small compound with only two lightbulbs to serve
several dark rooms. The books in the library and the tapes in the
archives were both looted by the Taliban, meaning much of the
station's reference material is gone.

The necessary equipment is mostly either old or nonexistent. There
are no phones, the only tape recorder is about the size of a wallet,
and the whole arrangement is powered by a generator that frequently
breaks. To reduce the load on the generator, the station's amplifier
is hooked up to a car battery.

In spite of these shortfalls, the station somehow managed quickly to
provide services, a considerable accomplishment given that little
else works in Kunduz.

The power plant was scavenged when the Taliban seized the city in
1997, and has been darkened ever since. Schools are closed. Public
transportation is nonexistent. Mail service is a dream. There is no
running water or working sewage system. The hospital is filthy.
Fires are fought with buckets filled from wells because the city's
fire trucks are on blocks behind the police station, their engines,
tires and hoses all long ago carted off.

Nothing in Kunduz seems to work at all, except for the merchants and
repairmen peering from stores and tiny stalls, and Kunduz radio, now
broadcasting one hour a day beginning at 5 p.m., or perhaps a little
later, allowing for equipment failures, and the time required to
write scripts exactly the opposite of the old way.

http://www.nytimes.com/2001/11/30/international/30KUND.html?ex=10081
63054&ei=1&en=65ecea45e7319912
If you go to the link, there is a picture of the studio as well...
(J.A.Figliozzi-USA Nov 30, 2001 in swprograms-ML)

Re : "1520 kHz fits not into the the 9-kHz step-width" : "BBC Moni-
toring believes the frequency is more likely to be 1521 kHz "- see
BBCM report via DXLD below. [CRW].



---- National Radio Australia about Voice of Sharia'

Voice of Sharia' The Radio National (Australia) program Background
Briefing did a program about GPS on November 18th. The beginning of
the show details the missile strike against Voice of Sharia' and
includes audio excerpts. The program is on demand at
http://abc.net.au/rn/talks/bbing/default.htm
(H.Johnson-USA Dec 6, 2001 in CDX 376)

They did use material from www.clandestineradio.com for this
production.



--- TAZ about Afghanistan

Die Tageszeitung, Berlin  December 7, 2001

Land ohne Medien, von Roland Hofwiler

Wenn es um die künftige Radio- und TV-Landschaft in Afghanistan
geht, möchte jeder ein Wörtchen mitreden

Das Thema Pressefreiheit und Medienvielfalt stand bei der Afgha-
nistan-Konferenz auf dem Petersberg überhaupt nicht zur Debatte.
Bewusst wurde die heikle Frage ausgeklammert: Wie lässt sich in
einem Land ohne Fernsehtradition, ohne Tageszeitungen und mit so gut
wie keinen Radiosendungen eine zeitgemäße Medienstruktur aufbauen?

Den afghanischen Stammesfürsten geht es allein um Propaganda für den
Erhalt ihrer Macht, und die Friedensbringer aus dem Westen streiten
über ein künftiges Bildungsprogramm. USA, Frankreich, Großbritan-
nien, Russland - jeder will die mediale Dominanz an sich reißen.

In Washington befasst sich ein eigener Medienstab mit dem Aufbau
eines globalen Mammutsenders. Rund um die Uhr werde "Free Muslim
World" ab kommendem Jahr ein Fernseh- und Radioprogramm in 26
Sprachen ausstrahlen, verkünden die Planer. Mit einem Mix aus
Politik und Rockmusik wollen die Amis weltweit an die 500 Millionen
Muslime anlocken.

Für Afghanistan ist diesem Medienszenario zufolge ein Subsender
unter dem Namen "Radio Free Afghanistan" vorgesehen.

Finanzieren wollen die USA ihre Weltradio-Träume allerdings nicht
allein. Washington erwartet von seinen Verbündeten neben wirt-
schaftlicher Unterstützung auch die Mitbenutzung von Relaisstationen
im Nahen Osten und Satelliten über dem asiatischen Himmel.

Und da beginnt der Streit. In London und Paris will man die Neuauf-
lage eines Kalten-Krieg-Senders im Stil von "Radio Free Europe/Radio
Liberty" anscheinend verhindern. Bis zum Fall des Eisernen Vorhangs
war die "Freie Stimme" - von den USA konzipiert für knapp 300 Mil-
lionen Hörer im sowjetischen Machtbereich - alles andere als frei.
Das Programm brachte Propaganda pur: Der Westen war gut, der Osten
schlecht.

Spiel der Regierungen

Bei der BBC befürchtet man, ein Kalter Medienkrieg gegen die isla-
mische Welt könnte verheerende Folgen mit sich bringen. Auch Radio
France International versucht mit allen Mitteln, die US-Medien-
allüren zu bremsen.

Undurchsichtig ist dabei jedoch das Spiel der Regierungen in London
und Paris. Seit dem 27. November residiert in London offiziell eine
Rundfunkstation unter dem Namen "Stimme Afghanistans", die täglich
auf Kurzwelle eine Sendung für die Menschen in Kabul ausstrahlt.
Fast heimlich ging die Radiogründung vor sich. Und schier unglaub-
lich klingt die Geschichte, dass hinter dem Projekt nur der 32-jäh-
rige Geschäftsmann Said Jalal Karim stecken soll, der vor einigen
Jahren als afghanischer Gastarbeiter nach Saudi-Arabien kam und dort
in Windeseile zum Millionär wurde. Er gibt sich bewusst medienscheu,
und die offiziell registrierte Webside lässt sich nicht öffnen.
Merkwürdig finden westliche Radio-Freaks ebenfalls den Umstand, dass
eine ähnliche oder eben die gleiche Station auch schon aus den
Bergen Usbekistans und Tadschikistans geortet wurde.

TV für eine Minderheit

Weshalb andererseits in Kabul bis heute Radio und Fernsehen über das
Stadium von Testsendungen nicht hinauskommen, überrascht alle Exper-
ten. Seit dem Sieg über die Taliban vor immerhin drei Wochen ist
"Radio Afghanistan" noch immer nicht über die Stadtgrenzen Kabuls
hinaus zu hören. Und auch die kurzen Programme von "TV Afghanistan",
die angeblich nach wie vor über einen mobilen 10-Watt-Sender ausge-
strahlt werden, erreichen nur wenige Haushalte. Von ähnlich kleinen
Sendeanlagen, die über eine französische Menschenrechtsgruppe ins
Land geschleust wurden, fehlt bislang jede Spur. Doch in Paris
möchte sich dazu niemand äußern.

Da klingt es wie Hohn, dass ausgerechnet Moskau, das einst Afgha-
nistan den Krieg erklärte und die US-Sendungen von "Radio Free
Europe/Radio Liberty" mit starken Störsendern zu unterbinden suchte,
nun allen Seiten anbietet, diese Sendeanlagenjedem zur Verfügung zu
stellen, der sich am Aufbau eines modernen Fernseh- und Radionetzes
in Afghanistan beteiligen möchte.

Die Anlagen im südtadschikischen Dorf Kolkhozabad etwa könnten
schnell wieder in Betrieb genommen werden, erklärten russische
Experten bei einer Besichtigung. Und stolz fügten sie hinzu, damit
wäre in jedem afghanischen Dorf ein optimaler Rundfunkempfang
gesichert. Man darf gespannt sein, wer den ersten Zugriff erhält,
Radio France International, die britische BBC - oder doch die
Amerikaner?
( www.taz.de Dec 7, 2001 via M.Schöch-D for CRW)



--- BBCM about Afghanistan

Afghanistan - Media round-up Wednesday 28 November 2001

- Radio Voice of Afghanistan uplinks from London. Station's founder
interviewed by BBC radio
- Kabul TV shows Taleban "crimes"
- Balkh Radio, US PsyOps radio on the air
- Canadian journalist allegedly abducted in Afghanistan
- Canada warns of "Taleban plot against journalists"
- Swedish media withdraw following journalist's death

Radio Voice of Afghanistan uplinks from London

Text of press release in English from London-based Radio Voice of
Afghanistan on 27 November [already in DXLD 1-184 -DXLD]

Radio Voice of Afghanistan founder talks to BBC radio |
[already in CRW 089 Extra -CRW]

Radio Voice of Afghanistan programme summary

The station was observed by BBC Monitoring on 28 November from 1330-
1430 gmt on 9950 kHz and began with the usual opening announcements,
programme preview and a recitation from the Koran. This was followed
by news in Pashto which included these items:

- Report on talks in Bonn stating that agreement had been reached on
setting up an interim government.
- A high-ranking official from Vatican met the former king yester-
day.
- American aircraft bombed Taleban positions in Kandahar yesterday.
- Fighting continuing in Lashkargah, provincial capital of Helmand,
quoting Al-Jazeera correspondent from Herat.
- Uzbekistan has not yet agreed to open its borders in order for
humanitarian aid to be delivered to Afghanistan.
- UN has called for an investigation into the killing of Afghan
Taleban prisoners in Qala-e Jangi, Mazar-e Sharif. Report gives some
details of the incident.
- UN has called on a number of countries to close some 152 accounts
belonging to the Taleban, including Taleban leaders and their
officials in Pakistan.
- Correspondent files a report from Peshawar, Pakistan on the cur-
rent situation in Afghanistan. The correspondent reports on a
meeting of elders in Konar Province. The meeting agreed that UN
peace-keeping forces should be deployed in Afghanistan as soon as
possible. The participants also expressed their support for a Loya
Jerga to decide the fate of Afghanistan.

The report also refers to an emergency meeting of Taleban commanders
which was chaired by Mola Akhtar Osmani. The meeting discussed the
possibility of attacks on Kandahar from border areas. Taleban sour-
ces have been quoted as saying that the meeting decided to take
action against any attacks from Pakistan. The meeting elected a
senior Taleban leader, Mola Abdorrazaq, as the leader of resistance
against foreign attacks. Mola Abdorrazaq said to a correspondent
that no-one would be able to take control of Kandahar through
fighting. He said that anyone who thought about taking control of
Kandahar would face
stern resistance.

- Interview with a local tribesman from Paktia, Timorshah Nur-Kuchi,
speaking about the talks in Bonn. He talks about the need for a Loya
Jera in Afghanistan. He said that no representative had gone to Bonn
talks from Paktia. [The interview ended incomplete as the Dari pro-
gramme began]

At 1345 gmt the Dari programme commenced

The news in Dari carried the items as described in the Pashto ver-
sion with the addition of the following items:

- Announcer in Dari says that "while inside Afghanistan the people
are holding jergas and are calling for the Bonn talks to succeed. In
Kandahar, Taleban leaders are preparing to confront attacks by
American troops. Please pay attention to a report by our colleague
from Peshawar."

The correspondent began filing his report in Pashto, presumably in
error, about a meeting held in Konar.

- Amnesty International has called for investigation into the kil-
ling of Taleban in Mazar-e Sharif. Iraq condemned the incident as
mass murder. Pakistani religious leaders call for a national day of
mourning.

- Announcer in Dari: "We have reports from Konar Province where the
elders have expressed support for Loya Jera. Please pay attention to
a report by our colleague from Peshawar"

Correspondent files a report in Dari about the meeting in Konar.
This time it was the correct report

- Announcer continues: "As you have heard, American forces inten-
sified their operations around Kandahar. However, the Taleban
continue their resisting. Our colleague reports from Peshawar."

Correspondent files a report on the meeting of the commanders.
Announcer began to speak over the report, while the report was
continuing in the background which then was cut, being replaced by a
station identification jingle.

- Report on talks about Bonn meeting. It says that over 1,000
journalists are covering the talks. Announcer interviews an Afghan
journalist on the Bonn talks.

- Interview with a Kabul citizen on the arrival of Russian forces in
Kabul yesterday. The interviewee talks about the equipment brought
in by Russians, the colour of their uniforms and where they were
deployed (Wazir Akbar Khan).

At the end of the programme the announcer apologises for the
technical problems experienced during the broadcast.

At 1400 gmt and 1415 gmt respectively the Pashto and Dari casts were
repeated. The station closed at 1430 gmt.

Balkh Radio

Balkh Radio, which is based in the northern city of Mazar-e Sharif,
Balkh Province, was observed broadcasting as scheduled from 0230-
0430 gmt (0700-0900 local time) and from 1130 gmt. All broadcasts
are on the usual frequency of 1584 kHz.

Kabul TV shows Taleban "crimes"

The BBC has not yet observed radio and TV broadcasts in the capital
Kabul. Kabul radio is broadcasting daily for three hours in the
morning and four hours in the evening via a mobile transmitter. Ka-
bul TV is broadcasting via a 10-Watt transmitter, which is very low
power in terms of TV broadcasting, so range would be limited, pro-
bably to central Kabul. The station is on the air three hours a day.

Following is text of a report in English by Iranian news agency IRNA
on 27 November

Kabul, 27 November: Kabul television broadcast the crimes committed
by Taleban forces and Usamah Bin-Ladin on the outskirts of Kabul,
according to informed sources.

Kabul television broadcast was put into operation a few days ago
after a five-year silence ordered by the Taleban forces.

The Kabul National Security Committee proposed Kabul television
broadcast on Tuesday [27 November] the crimes committed by Taleban
on the outskirts of Kabul. Crimes committed in other areas of the
country will soon be broadcast.

Currently, Kabul television broadcasts programmes three hours per
day mainly filled in by news programmes as well as Iranian and
Western movies.

Also Kabul Radio broadcasting programmes for the public in Pashto
and the current Persian (known as Dari) consists of news and music.

US PsyOps broadcasts continue

US PsyOps Information Radio continues to be observed by BBC
Monitoring broadcasting in Pashto and Dari to Afghanistan from 0030-
0530 gmt and 1230-1730 gmt daily. It is heard on 8700 kHz upper
sideband mode and at times on the former Kandahar mediumwave
frequency of 864 kHz. A third announced channel of 1107 kHz (former
Kabul frequency) has not yet been observed by BBC Monitoring. The
864, 980 (reportedly a relay of Voice of America) and 1107 kHz
channels are believed to be broadcast from US PsyOps "Commando Solo"
EC-130 aircraft.

Canadian reporter "held in chains" in Afghanistan

A Canadian freelance reporter from Montreal, Quebec, has reportedly
been kidnapped and "held in chains" in southern Afghanistan, the
UK's Guardian newspaper said on 28 November.

The Guardian said Ken Hechtman, of the Montreal Mirror, was taken
prisoner in the Afghan border town of Spin Boldak, south of Kanda-
har. He was being held in a windowless room, chained hand and foot
after being kidnapped by "bandits", a local resident told the Guar-
dian on the evening of 27 November.

The Montreal Mirror, a weekly newspaper, told the Canadian newspaper
The Globe and Mail that the paper had received word of the abduction
from correspondents for the Guardian and USA Today.

According to Guardian correspondent Jonathan Steele, witness Moham-
mad Zai said Hechtan was guarded by about 11 armed men. They wanted
money and threatened to kill him, Zai told Steele.

Montreal Mirror's associate editor, Matthew Hays, told The Globe and
Mail: "Someone received a note from him [Hechtman] in prison, he's
being held in chains. We don't know if anyone else has been taken
prisoner from the press but obviously we're very alarmed."

François Bugingo of Reporters sans Frontières (RSF) told RDI, Radio-
Canada's all-news network, that Hechtman was "tied down to the
ground and apparently he's been brutalized at least a couple of
times", The Globe and Mail reported.

"We're looking for a contact in order to negotiate his release,"
Bugingo added.

Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chrétien who is in Dallas, Texas, said
everything is being done to locate Hechtman, The Globe and Mail
reported. "We will do whatever we can do. But if he has been
kidnapped by people we have to find out where he is and how we can
get him out of there... So all of our services in Pakistan are
working on that. ," Chrétien said.

Patrick Lejtenyi, news editor at the Montreal Mirror, told The Globe
and Mail that Hechtman, who is in his early 30s, was on his first
assignment as a war correspondent and was actually a laid-off
computer employee.

"He's not really a journalist. It was really kind of like the first
assignment that he's done. He just wanted to go. He's a good writer,
he's a computer guy with a strong interest in the area. He had lost
his job in Montreal with the layoffs and he said he just wanted to
go there and be a war correspondent," Lejtenyi told the paper.

Hechtman also writes for Canadian news web site straightgoods.ca.

Canada warns of "Taleban plot against journalists"

Text of report by Radio Canada International on 28 November

Canada's Foreign Affairs Department is calling on news organizations
to warn of a Taleban plot against journalists in Afghanistan. The
department says the Taleban plans to invite Western journalists into
Kandahar, then capture them to be used as bargaining chips. Foreign
Affairs spokesman [name indistinct] says any such offers from the
Taleban should be refused. He did not say how Canada learned of the
plot.

Swedish media withdraw following journalist's death

Text of report by Swedish SVT Europa TV on 27 November

TV4 [Swedish television station] and Aftonbladet [Swedish newspaper]
are pulling out of Afghanistan together with several other Western
media. A convoy has now left the town of Taloqan after one of TV4's
staff, photographer Ulf Stromberg, was killed during a robbery at
his accommodation.

[Sven Irving, chief editor with TV4] We know that they are part of a
large convoy leaving Taloqan in Afghanistan en route to Dushanbe in
Tajikistan.

[Reporter] Who is travelling with this convoy?

[Irving] As far as we know, the convoy consists of 10-15 vehicles.
We know that Rolf [Porseryd of TV4] is with it, we know that Afton-
bladet's dispatched team, which was also affected by this robbery,
is with it... Many are withdrawing their staff from Taloqan.

[Reporter] There was a sorrowful atmosphere at the news desk today -
a news team in shock since photographer Ulf Stromberg was killed
during a robbery late last night in Taloqan in northern Afghanistan.
A gang of robbers broke into the house where Aftonbladet's and TV4's
reporting teams were living and Nyheter's [Swedish television news]
correspondent Rolf Porseryd found himself in the same room when Ulf
Stromberg was shot down... Photographer Ulf Stromberg died later of
his injuries on the way to hospital. He was 42 and leaves a widow
and three children.

Compiled by Foreign Media Unit, BBC Monitoring
Telephone +44 118 948 6261 e-mail: fmu@mon.bbc.co.uk
Source: BBC Monitoring research 28 Nov 01 (via DXLD 1-185)



Afghanistan - Media round-up Friday 30 November 2001

- Voice of Afghanistan plan web site, extended transmissions
- Kunduz radio station switches sides to Northern Alliance
- Taleban official says Canadian reporter released; Pakistani
official says not
-Over 1,000 journalists enter Afghanistan through Tajikistan

[repeating info previously here from RNMN, Cumbre -gh]

The station was observed 30 November on scheduled 9950 kHz, 1330-
1430 gmt. Programme summary to follow.

Radio Voice of Afghanistan programme summary

The station, which is based in London, was observed by BBC Monito-
ring on 30 November from 1330-1430 gmt on 9950 kHz and began with
the usual opening announcements, programme preview and a recitation
from the Koran. This was followed by news in Pashto which included
these items:

- Bonn talks examines transitional body, council, and a 200-member
parliament;
- US continues bombing raids over Kandahar;
- Nangarhar Governor Haji Abdol Qadir, who is a member of the
Northern Alliance, has walked out of the Bonn talks on the grounds
that Pashtuns were not appropriately represented;
- US carries out heavy bombing raids over Taleban in Takhta Pol.

Following the news three features were carried:

A report on British press coverage of Afghan-related events:
- The Daily Telegraph - on US plans to track down Al-Qa'idah
fighters;
- The Guardian -on the Bonn talks.

An interview with Said Jalal Afghan [Karim] on the Bonn conference -
in Dari overlaid with Pashto translation:
- importance of reaching a political settlement;
- role of the Loya Jerga - a fair way of settling the problem;
- role of the former King Mohammad Zaher Shah;
- need to create favourable conditions for the cultural and economic
development of the country;
 - role of women in society.

A telephone interview in Pashto with Taleban Spokesman Mola
Abdossalam Zayif in Pashto:

- Mola Omar is still the military and political leader of the
Taleban and continuing his duties as such;
- whereabouts of Bin-Ladin not clear - whether he is inside or
outside Afghanistan. (Duration about 2 min)

The Dari bulletin started at 1400 gmt. The news in Dari contained
the following items:

- Bonn talks continued today. The discussions centred around the
formation of a transitional body and list of representatives. It is
hoped that the list will be prepared by Saturday 1 December;

- Haji Abdol Qadir walked out of the talks on grounds that Pashtuns
were not appropriately represented at the talks;

- Northern Alliance Commander Bismillah Khan, who is in Kabul, has
said clashes are continuing near Kandahar and another commander said
Kandahar could fall soon. He said there was fighting 5km from
Kandahar airport;

- Travellers from Kandahar have said the Taleban are still in
control of Kandahar city;

- Taleban fighters launched an offensive on their opponents;

- US ready to issue visas for those who provide the Americans with
information;

- Hundreds of Pakistani Muslims held a rally in support of the
Taleban and condemned the Pakistani government's policy in relation
to the Taleban - telephone report from Pakistan on the rally.

Following the news three features were carried:

Interview with Said Jalal Afghan [Karim] on the Bonn talks: After
reciting a few verses in Arabic Jalal Afghan says he hopes for the
Peshawar group to have been better represented in terms of numbers;

- on the role of former King Zaher Shah Jalal Afghan says the people
should decide who they want as leader;

- he says Afghans should forget their differences;

- on the Loya Jerga he says it is important but if it is organized
like the Bonn talks then he is not so hopeful;

- on women's role he says they should play their role in the cultu-
ral and political life of the country in line with Islamic laws;

- hopes the neighbouring countries will not meddle in Afghanistan's
affairs and hopes the world will not forget Afghanistan.

- Interview with Zayif: Speaking in Dari, Mola Zayif says there are
opposition forces in Takhta Pol but that in a Taleban counter-
offensive many were killed He added that opposition forces are not
capable of advancing on Kandahar. Zayif stated that Mola Omar has
not abandoned the leadership of the Taleban, that he continues to be
their military and political leader and that the Taleban continue to
take their orders from him. He said that Mola Omar is in Kandahar
and sometimes in the outskirts of the city, moving around for
security reasons.

Dwelling on the talks with opposition forces, Zayif says the Taleban
are indeed holding talks and these are probably ongoing. However,
the Taleban are not holding such talks with those "who take instruc-
tion from the US", he added. The talks would not include discussions
regarding the hand over of Kandahar, said Zayif. He says the Tale-
ban will not disclose their strategy and that they are watching the
opposition to see what they will do with Afghanistan. The Taleban
would continue the jihad, says Zayif, but will not disclose the
nature of this jihad. On Bin-Ladin, Mola Zayif says the Taleban are
not in touch with Bin-Ladin and do not know if he is inside Afgha-
nistan or outside. (Duration about 3 minutes)

The station closed at 1430 gmt.

Kunduz radio station switches sides to Northern Alliance

According to a report on the International Herald Tribune web site
on 30 November, the former pro-Taleban radio station in Kunduz has
now switched sides and is broadcasting in support of the Northern
Alliance.

The web site carried a report from a New York Times Service
correspondent in Kunduz who said the station had resumed test
broadcasts on 28 November.

The Kunduz radio station is now broadcasting for one hour a day from
5-6 p.m. local time (1230-1330 gmt) on 1520 kHz mediumwave (although
BBC Monitoring believes the frequency is more likely to be 1521
kHz).

Source: BBC Monitoring research 30 Nov 01

Balkh Radio

Balkh Radio, which is based in the northern city of Mazar-e Sharif,
Balkh Province, was observed broadcasting as scheduled from 0430-
0630 gmt (0900-1100 local time) and from 1223-1500 gmt. All
broadcasts are on the usual frequency of 1584 kHz.

Kabul TV/Radio

The BBC has not yet observed radio and TV broadcasts in the capital
Kabul.... [as before]

US PsyOps broadcasts continue... [as before]

Over 1,000 journalists enter Afghanistan through Tajikistan

Since 11 September this year, 1,103 journalists have entered
Afghanistan from Tajikistan, through the Farkhor-Kokul border
checkpoint, the Tajik news agency Asia-Plus reported on 30 November.
About half of them crossed in November, the agency said, adding:
"Russian border guards have carried out major work to allow
correspondents to enter the Islamic State of Afghanistan from
Tajikistan and return [to Tajikistan] in an organized manner."

Source: Asia-Plus news agency, Dushanbe, Russian 0859 gmt 30 Nov 01

Compiled by Foreign Media Unit, BBC Monitoring
Telephone +44 118 948 6261 e-mail: fmu@mon.bbc.co.uk
Source: BBC Monitoring research 30 Nov 01 (via DXLD 1-186)



Afghanistan - Media round-up Sunday 2 December 2001

- French media watchdog's concern over press restrictions
- Taleban free Canadian journalist
- Voice of Afghanistan broadcasts
- Officials meet to discuss starting TV broadcasts
- Konduz radio station not heard by BBC
- Boom in sale of audio and video equipment

French media watchdog's concern over press restrictions

Text of press release by Paris-based organization Reporters Sans
Frontières (RSF) on 30 November

At a press conference held in Koenings Winter, Germany, where the
conference on political transition and the restoration of security
in Afghanistan is taking place, Reporters Without Borders (Reporters
sans frontières - RSF) has launched an appeal urging the various
Afghan representatives to ensure the security of journalists and put
an end to the extortion that the press has been the victim of
throughout the country. Eight journalists were killed within less
than 20 days. In addition, the organization has asked Afghan
representatives to launch serious investigations into the eight
journalists' deaths.

At the same time, Reporters Without Borders has announced that
interventions with the legal authorities of the various countries
where the killed reporters came from (Australia, Germany, France,
Italy, Spain, Sweden) had been made so that investigations about the
conditions in which these journalists lost their lives are launched.
Up to now, only the Rome Prosecutor's Office has launched such an
initiative.

RSF has also asked media owners who have reporters on the ground to
take all necessary measures to ensure their security. Contrary to
certain statements made by high officials of the Northern Alliance,
many areas under its control remain very dangerous.

The press freedom organization has recommended that the internatio-
nal community's support for the reconstruction of Afghanistan be
conditioned by the respect for media pluralism.

RSF is worried about certain measures being introduced by the new
authorities in Kabul. Among other things, they have demanded that
Afghan journalists working for foreign media outlets register with
the Afghan Ministry of Foreign Affairs. From now on, before being
authorized to work for the international press, Afghan journalists
must be recommended by an officer from the ministry.

RSF also announced that in collaboration with independent Afghan
journalists, the organization would help relaunch the Kabul Weekly,
which ceased publishing in 1996.

For further information, contact Vincent Brossel at RSF, 5, rue
Geoffroy Marie, Paris 75009, France, Tel: +33 1 44 83 84 84, Fax:
+33 1 45 23 11 51, e-mail: asie@rsf.fr Internet: http://www.rsf.fr

Source: Reporters Sans Frontières press release, Paris, in English
30 Nov 01

Taleban free Canadian journalist | Text of report from Radio Canada
International audio web site on 2 December

A Canadian held prisoner by the Taleban in Afghanistan since Tuesday
[27 November] is in Pakistan after being freed on Saturday [1
December]. Ken Hechtman, a 33-year-old freelance journalist on
assignment for the Montreal Mirror, is in good health and says he
was not mistreated while in captivity. He says he was mostly left
alone to sit in the sun.

Mr Hechtman was handed over to Canadian officials Saturday after
several days of negotiations with Taleban officials. He was asked if
he had been worried.

[Hechtman] Not really, because I knew I wasn't a spy, I knew I could
prove I was a journalist, I knew I could prove that I was somewhat
friendly and sympathetic and this was all going to get sorted.

Source: Radio Canada International audio web site, Montreal, in
English 0200 gmt 2 Dec 01

Voice of Afghanistan broadcasts

Voice of Afghanistan continues to be observed on its scheduled
frequency of 9950 kHz from 1330 to 1430 gmt daily.

Said Jalal Karim, Voice of Afghanistan's founder, is an Afghan
entrepreneur currently operating from London.

The station's postal address is: Afghan Broadcasting Company, 21
Worship Street, London, UK EC2 2DW.

Voice of Afghanistan can be contacted by telephone on +44 (0)207 382
9610 or by e-mail at afbc9950@hotmail.com The contact for press
inquiries is Penny Munro.

Radio Voice of Afghanistan programme summaries

The station, which is based in London, was observed by BBC
Monitoring on 1 and 2 December from 1330-1430 gmt on 9950 kHz.

On 1 December the broadcast began with the usual opening
announcements, programme preview and a recitation from the Koran.
This was followed by news in Pashto which included these items:

- News headlines: Northern Alliance runs into problems at Bonn talks
- former President Borhanoddin Rabbani objects to the role envisaged
for the former monarch ; Colin Powell's forthcoming visit to Central
Asia; Pakistan and Iran issue a joint statement on Afghanistan.

- News in detail: woman presenter, followed later by a male
presenter:

- Bonn talks run into problems over differences in the Northern
Alliance ranks on the composition of the interim council. Main
objection coming from Rabbani to the role of former King Mohammad
Zaher Shah; Yunos Qanuni, who is heading the Northern Alliance
delegation at the Bonn talks, has said Rabbani's approval is needed
for the list drawn up for the interim body but Rabbani unlikely to
approve it; UN exerting pressure on the delegates at the Bonn talks
to reach an agreement; Governor of Nangarhar Province Haji Abdol
Qadir had walked out of the Bonn talks over what he called
inappropriate Pashtun representation at the talks; Haji Qadir told
the radio that he supports the idea of holding a Loya Jerga; Haji
Qadir says the talks at Bonn are not proportionally represented as
far as the ethnic composition of the country goes; he says the UN is
trying to push for a decision at the Bonn talks; US bombing is
continuing in the south; there have been reports about ongoing
negotiations between the Taleban and local Pashtun tribal leaders in
the south.

- Foreign news:

- Pakistani and Iranian foreign ministers have said that the two
countries have come closer together following the fall of the
Taleban;

- The Iranian foreign minister has expressed regret over the killing
of the Taleban prisoners of war in Mazar-e Sharif;

- Colin Powell will start a tour of Europe and Central Asia from
Monday - to include Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan;

- Weather forecast for Afghanistan
- Repeat of main headlines
- Jingle

- Report on a UN-sponsored conference in Pakistan on the
reconstruction of Afghanistan. Telephone interview with Pakistan-
based Afghan expert.

- Patriotic song in Pashto

Programme in Dari [1400 gmt]

- Jingle
- Opening announcement
- Programme preview; Said Jalal Afghan Foundation funded radio;
times and frequencies.
- Readings from the Holy Koran.
- The radio for 30 minutes

- News headlines: Bonn talks runs into problems because of the
Northern Alliance; US continues bombing raids in the south.

- News in detail: The Afghan factions continued their talks in Bonn
with new differences emerging in the Northern Alliance over the list
of names for the interim body; Rabbani has called on his delegation
to return to Afghanistan; Rabbani's main objection is the role
envisaged for former King Zaher Shah; the groups in Bonn are now
under pressure to come up with a settlement; Yunos Qanuni told the
radio that the delegation had asked Rabbani to approve the list but
Rabbani has asked the delegation to return to Afghanistan and Qanuni
has also said that the delegation had failed to convince Rabbani;
Qanuni has said it would be unfortunate for Afghanistan if such a
historical opportunity is allowed to slip away; Haji Abdo Qadir told
the radio that Pashtuns must be appropriately represented in the
Bonn talks; US troops are getting closer to Kandahar; the US will
not accept any safe haven for the fleeing foreign Taleban fighters;
Colin Powell is expected to start a nine-day tour of 11 countries
including Central Asia to discuss the future of a post-Taleban
Afghanistan - Russia, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan; Iran and
Pakistan have said they have come closer together since the fall of
the Taleban; the Iranian foreign minister has expressed regret over
the killing of the Taleban POWs in Mazar-e Sharif; whereabouts of a
foreign journalist in Afghanistan is not known.

- Weather forecast for Afghanistan
- Repeat of main headlines
- Jingle

- Telephone interview with Commander Daud Khan in Konduz - Daud says
the situation is returning to normal; he says no one is allowed to
engage in acts of revenge; Daud further says that most of the local
Taleban are living peacefully at home; on the Taleban POWs Commander
Daud says the 600 or so foreign Taleban fighters had fled Konduz
towards Mazar-e Sharif without permission where they had surrendered
and eventually been killed by the US aerial bombing over Qala-i
Jangi; he says there is no fighting in the north; Commander Daud
says in the region of 7,000 Taleban prisoners were transferred to
Balkh by Gen Dostum's men; he says those Taleban fighters who
managed to flee or are hiding will eventually be found; on reports
that foreign aircraft had flown into Konduz when the Taleban were
still in control of the province - he says three large (?Mi-26)
helicopters which Pakistan has landed in Konduz and transferred 110
Arabs and 400 Pakistani nationals who were in Konduz to an unknown
destination in Pakistan - adding that those who claim that they are
in control of the skies over Afghanistan are probably aware of this;
on women's rights, he says girls' schools have been opened, as well
as boys' schools.

- A UN-sponsored conference is being held in Pakistan to discuss
Afghanistan's reconstruction - telephone interview with an Afghan
expert in Islamabad who is taking part in the conference.

- Announcement: Address in Kabul and London for listeners; email
address also given.

The station closed at 1430 gmt.

On 2 December the 1330-1430 gmt broadcast contained the following
reports:

- Opening announcement and programme preview in Pashto, followed by
readings from the Holy Koran.

- News headlines followed by news in full in Pashto:

- Afghan groups are continuing their deliberations in Bonn on pro-
posals put forward by the UN. According to observers, the Northern
Alliance has accepted a UN proposal on the setting up of an executi-
ve council which will be headed by a Pashtun. The Northern Alliance
is expected to occupy key portfolios in the council. Proposals for
an interim parliament have been shelved for the time being.

- US aircraft continue bombing raids on Taleban positions in
Kandahar. Anti-Taleban forces are expected to renew their attacks on
Kandahar airport once the US bombing is ended in the area. A
spokesman for the tribal forces says that they are not in a hurry to
attack Kandahar. US Marines are consolidating their presence in a
base near Kandahar. There are also reports that Australian, German
and British soldiers have also been deployed in this base. Reports
also say that thousands of refugees are leaving Kandahar for the
Afghan-Pakistani border.

- The US military has rejected reports that its aircraft have bombed
two villages in Nangarhar Province. It has been reported that 50
civilians were killed in the two villages near Tora Bora where
Usamah Bin-Ladin is thought to be hiding.

- According to international news agencies, more than 80 Taleban
prisoners have been discovered alive in a prison in Mazar-e Sharif.
Hundreds of prisoners were killed last week in a rebellion in the
prison.

- According to news reports from Pakistan, a leader of the Northern
Alliance, Rasul Sayyaf (leader of the Ettehad-e Eslami-e Afgha-
nistan), is expected to take a group of Pakistani captives with
him to Peshawar to meet Pakistani officials. The Pakistani captives
are said to be volunteer fighters who belong to the Tehrik-i-Nifaz-
i-Shariah and other Islamic groups. Another leader of the Ettehad-e
Eslami, Qiyyamoddin Kashaf, said that these prisoners had been
captured in various parts of Afghanistan and had been brought to
Kabul. Kashaf said they could not save those Pakistanis who were
killed in Mazar-e Sharif.

- Taleban have freed a Canadian journalists.
- Report on suicide bomb attacks in Israel in which 25 people were
killed and 170 were wounded.
- Weather forecast for Afghanistan.

Listeners are asked to send their views about the contents of Radio
Voice of Afghanistan's broadcasts to two addresses in Kabul and in
London. The Kabul address is: Post Box 5459, Kabul. E-mail address
is: afgbc9950@hotmail.com {typo? originally and above as
afbc9950@hotmail.com }

- Pashto song.
- World of sport. Reports on tennis and on draw for football World
Cup.
- Pashto song.

1400 gmt - Start of Dari transmission.

- Readings from the Holy Koran.
- Repeat of news in Pashto. See D above.
- Weather forecast for Afghanistan.
- Excerpts from an article in New York Times on the fall of the
Taleban and the rise of the Northern Alliance.
- Song in Dari.
- World of sport. Reports on World Cup football and tennis.
- Addresses to contact the radio station.
- Closing announcement.

The broadcast ended at 1430 gmt.

Balkh Radio

Balkh Radio, which is based in the northern city of Mazar-e Sharif,
Balkh Province, continues to be observed. On Sunday 2 December the
radio broadcast as scheduled from 0230-0430 gmt (0700-0900 local
time) and 1128-1458 gmt. All broadcasts are on the usual frequency
of 1584 kHz.

On 30 November the station announced that a programme called "The
Voice of the people" would be launched soon, and asked listeners to
send in their questions and suggestions.

Officials meet to discuss starting TV broadcasts

Text of report by Afghan Balkh radio on 2 December

A meeting has been chaired by the head of the information and cultu-
re commission, Abdollah Roien. According to Bakhtar news agency, the
meeting was attended by the head of radio, television and Afghan
film, Mr Ustad Abdorrab Jahed; Mohammed Omar Farzad; the editor of
the Bedar daily newspaper, Mohammed Zaman Naik Rae; general director
of information and culture commission, Mr Abdorrashid; general
director of radio and TV broadcast, Abdol Aziz, and some other
officials.

They discussed starting TV broadcasts, extending radio broadcasts,
providing more facilities for the daily newspaper Bedar and organi-
zational problems. Important decisions were made and necessary
instructions were given to the officials concerned. The meeting
ended with a prayer.

Source: Balkh radio, Mazar-e Sharif, in Dari 0925 gmt 2 Dec 01

Kabul TV/Radio

The BBC has not yet observed radio and TV broadcasts in the capital
Kabul. Kabul radio is broadcasting daily for three hours in the
morning and four hours in the evening via a mobile transmitter.
Kabul TV is broadcasting via a 10-Watt transmitter, which is very
low power in terms of TV broadcasting, so range would be limited,
probably to central Kabul. The station is on the air three hours a
day.

Konduz radio station reportedly on the air, pro-Northern Alliance

According to a report on the International Herald Tribune (IHT) web
site on 30 November, the former pro-Taleban radio station in Konduz
has now switched sides and is broadcasting in support of the
Northern Alliance.

The web site carried a report from a New York Times Service
correspondent in Konduz who said the station had resumed test
broadcasts on 28 November.

The IHT report said the Konduz radio station was now broadcasting
for one hour a day from 5-6 p.m. local time (1230-1330 gmt) on 1520
kHz mediumwave (although BBC Monitoring believes the frequency is
more likely to be 1521 kHz).

The reported broadcasts from Konduz radio have not yet been observed
by BBC Monitoring.

Source: BBC Monitoring research 30 Nov-2 Dec 01

US PsyOps broadcasts continue

US PsyOps Information Radio was observed by BBC Monitoring
broadcasting in Pashto and Dari to Afghanistan from 0030-0530 gmt
and again from 1230 gmt. Information Radio is heard on 8700 kHz
upper sideband mode and at times on the former Kandahar mediumwave
frequency of 864 kHz. A third announced channel of 1107 kHz (former
Kabul frequency) has not yet been observed by BBC Monitoring. The
864, 980 (reportedly a relay of Voice of America) and 1107 kHz
channels are believed to be broadcast from US PsyOps "Commando Solo"
EC-130 aircraft.

Boom reported in sale of audio and video equipment

Excerpt from report in English from Tehran Times web site on 2
December (the original report in English was carried by French news
agency AFP on 1 December):

Kabul, 1 December: Abdul Razol Bezad has reopened his bookstore on
the corner of Flower Street after years of hiding his precious stock
at home from the Taleban militia.

"If I had tried to sell these books the Taleban would have accused
me of being a Christian," said Bezad, displaying dictionaries,
scientific manuals in English and novels by popular Western writers.

He picks up an atlas of Afghanistan whose cover carries a photograph
of three women on a donkey.

"Just a few days ago I was prohibited from selling this book," Bezad
said in a reference to Taleban objections to the depiction of living
beings. "I've kept these books at home for years. Things are
different now."

The rout of the Islamic fundamentalist Taleban and takeover of the
Afghan capital by the Northern Alliance nearly three weeks ago has
been a godsend for merchants and consumers alike here.

Prices of most items have come down and numerous goods previously
sold under the counter are now on shelves or in display windows...

The electronics sellers here appear to be among those who stand to
benefit the most from the flight of the Taleban, who had banned
playing or listening to music and the possession of television sets.

Shops in Pashtunistan Street, in another neighbourhood of Kabul,
have filled up magically overnight with tape decks, radios, televi-
sions, VCRs, CD players and other items.

The sidewalks have been invaded by home-made satellite television
dishes hammered out of paint tins and other materials.

"I once spent 15 days in prison under the Taleban because I had a
television set in the back of my store," said electronics seller
Guhlam Farooq. "I've never sold as much as during the past two
weeks. I had to place more orders."

Toryalai, who also owns an electronics store, claims to have been
selling 50 televisions a day.

"It's crazy. Even poor people are borrowing money to buy them
without knowing how they'll pay back their loans," he said, adding
that he takes the local currency, the afghani, US dollars or
Pakistani rupees.

His shelves are overflowing with pirate copies of films such as "Mr
Bean," "Mission Impossible 2" and "Tomb Raider" selling for just 150
Pakistani rupees (about 2.50 dollars) each.

Music is also making a comeback and in another store, Jawid Ahmad
proudly displays his prize product - an electronic keyboard for
which he wants the astronomical sum in Afghan terms of 1,500
dollars.

Source: Tehran Times web site in English 2 Dec 01

Compiled by Foreign Media Unit, BBC Monitoring
Telephone +44 118 948 6261 e-mail: media@mon.bbc.co.uk
Source: BBC Monitoring research 2 Dec 01 (via DXLD 1-188)



BBCM - December 3, 2001 :

Balkh Radio, which is based in the northern city of Mazar-e Sharif,
Balkh Province, continues to be observed. On Monday 3 December the
radio broadcast as scheduled from 0230-0430 gmt (0700- 0900 local
time) and 1125-1458 gmt. All broadcasts are on the usual frequency
of 1584 kHz. On 30 November the station announced that a programme
called "The Voice of the People" would be launched soon, and asked
listeners to send in their questions and suggestions.
(BBCM Dec 3, 2001 via DXLD 1-189)


Radio Free Europe hopes to expand in Afghanistan

The New York Times reported on 2 December that after nearly 10
years, Radio Free Europe plans to resume broadcasts to Afghanistan.
The Times said that if Congress approves, the network could be
broadcasting to Afghanistan by early February 2002. Radio Free
Europe already has about 20 staff reporters working in the region,
reporting for its many services and RFE/RL hopes to open a full-time
bureau in Kabul by January 2002, the newspaper reported. While Radio
Free Europe waits for Congress to approve 14m dollars for two years
of Afghan broadcasts, RFE/RL has increased broadcasts that already
reach the Afghan population. The Persian service, a language close
to Dari, has replaced some local programming with news of the war in
Afghanistan. Jeff Trimble, RFE/RL's director of broadcasting, is
charged with getting 20 reporters on the air for six hours per day,
in both the Dari and Pashto languages. The broadcasts to Afghanistan
will consist of mainly of news, but there will also be analysis and
cultural features, as well as music. "Like any broadcaster, we want
to be listened to," Trimble told the paper, adding "We'll put on
what the people want to hear".
Source: The New York Times Dec 3, 2001 (via BBCM via DXLD 1-189)



Media round-up Tuesday 4 December 2001

- Russia, Tajikistan discuss upgrading transmitter capable of
reaching Afghanistan

Russia, Tajikistan discuss upgrading transmitter capable of reaching
Afghanistan

Text of report by Russia TV on 4 December

Another Russian initiative on Afghanistan came to light today.
Television programmes from Moscow could be broadcast on liberated
territory. The timescale depends only on the restoration of a
transmitter in the south of Tajikistan, Sergey Yastrzhembskiy, aide
to the Russian president [who was accompanied by the general
directors of the two Russian TV stations closest to the government,
RTR and ORT,] said today in Dushanbe.

[Yastrzhembskiy] There is the necessary transmitter mast but funds
are needed to get it working. Of course I can't say that the money
will be forthcoming. I don't have the power to say that but if the
transmitter could be put back into operation that would be in the
interests of everyone, perhaps primarily those of the Afghan people.

[Presenter] Yastrzhembskiy made that statement immediately after a
three-hour meeting with [Tajik] President Rahmonov. They discussed
cooperation between Russia and Tajikistan in the information area.
It emerged that both countries see a need to resume broadcasts to
Afghanistan as soon as possible. To that end, there are plans to use
the transmitter in the village of Kolkhozabad, which is sufficiently
powerful to transmit not only to Kabul but further into Afghanistan
as well.

Sergey Yastrzhembskiy thinks that the issue of financing the project
will be resolved in the very near future.

[BBC Central Asia correspondent Monica Whitlock in Dushanbe on 4
December said the 1,000 kW transmitter was located in southern
Tajikistan and had could broadcast well into Pakistan and even
India. She added that the Moscow-backed Afghan president of the
1980s, Babrak Karmal, made his inaugural speech on Radio Afgha-
nistan, which was relayed from Kolkhozabad at the start of the
Soviet occupation of Afghanistan.

"Sergey Yastrzhembskiy said he had discussed with President Rahmonov
the possibility of restoring the tower, which still works, though
perhaps not to full strength," Whitlock said.

Both sides also discussed rebroadcasting the Russian TV channel ORT
in Tajikistan. "The Tajiks dropped ORT in October, possibly for
political or financial reasons. Moscow pays Dushanbe to take the
station, and there may have been an upset over money," Whitlock
noted.] Source: Russia TV, Moscow, in Russian 1400 gmt 4 Dec 01
(via BBCM via DXLD 1-190)



Afghanistan: Media round-up Wednesday 5 December 2001 [excerpts]

Watchdogs say media freedoms must be ensured

Text of press release from IFEX, the Toronto-based International
Freedom of Expression Exchange, dated 4 December 2001 and headlined
"Freedom of the press for Afghanistan?"

Human rights and media NGOs should play a role in ensuring that
freedom of expression concerns are dealt with during the current
negotiations over the future of post-conflict Afghanistan, say
Article 19 and International Media Support (IMS).

The two organizations recently released a report assessing the state
of the media in the war-torn country. "The international community
should make it clear to the key Afghan players that they expect them
to take measures to promote media freedom," says the report, which
grew out of an investigative mission to Pakistan last month invol-
ving the participation of Article 19, IMS and the Baltic Media
Centre.

These measures would include putting an end to government
interference in newspapers, allowing the existence of independent
media and transforming the state-owned Radio Shari'ah [former
Taleban-run radio] and television station into a public broadcaster.

The report notes the importance of involving Afghans "in a holistic
way" in developing the media, including the establishment of
consultations with key players to discuss priorities and concerns.

The full report can be viewed on the web site of the Institute for
War and Peace Reporting http://www.iwpr.net which is acting as a
clearing house for information on Afghan media and media
development.

Source: IFEX press release, Toronto, in English 4 Dec 01

Pakistan orders "illegal" radio stations near Afghan border to close

The political administration of Bajaur Agency, near the border with
Afghanistan, has directed religious organizations and tribal elders
to close their private radio stations within two days.

According to the web site of Pakistani newspaper Dawn, Mohammad
Saleem, a political activist, said that the police had raided and
sealed three radio stations one month ago but no action was taken
against the people responsible to avert the possibility of unrest in
the prevailing uncertain circumstances.

He said that this time the government would spare no effort to close
the radio channels which were "broadcasting baseless propaganda
against the government".

Seven private FM radio stations operate in different areas of the
agency, their broadcasts being heard within a radius of 80 km, which
includes some parts of Afghanistan's eastern Konar Province.

Source: Dawn web site, Karachi, in English 5 Dec 01

Radio Voice of Afghanistan broadcasts

Radio Voice of Afghanistan, which is based in London, continues to
be observed on its scheduled frequency of 9950 kHz from 1330-1430
gmt daily. The station was observed by BBC Monitoring on 5 December,
carrying the usual opening announcements, programme preview and a
recitation from the Koran, followed by news in Pashto and a pro-
gramme in Dari from 1400 gmt.

News items on the Pashto cast included:

 - Afghan delegates in Bonn sign accord, name head of the interim
administration;
- lack of security on Kabul-Jalalabad highway;
- Mojahedin forces in Nangarhar Provinces attack Al-Qa'idah in Tora
Bora;
- Pakistan agrees to help US with intelligence to track down Bin-
Ladin

News items on the Dari cast included:

- The former governor of Kandahar, Gol Agha, survives an assassi-
nation attempt.
- Interview with a number of Afghan personalities on signing of UN
sponsored accords in Bonn to set up an interim administration in
Afghanistan. The station closed as normal at 1430 gmt.

Compiled by Foreign Media Unit, BBC Monitoring
Telephone +44 118 948 6261 e-mail: fmu@mon.bbc.co.uk
Source: BBC Monitoring research 5 Dec 01 (via DXLD 1-191)



Afghanistan: Media roundup Thursday 6 December 2001 [excerpts]

Russia eyes airwaves to Afghanistan: editorial analysis

A new Russian media initiative on Afghanistan is under way in Cen-
tral Asia. Russia plans to broadcast Moscow TV and radio to Afgha-
nistan via the Central Asian state of Tajikistan. The strategy's
success will depend on finding the money to restore a Soviet-era
transmitter in Tajikistan.

Russia's proposal to Tajikistan involves upgrading an old transmit-
ter to rebroadcast TV and radio to Afghanistan. It is located in
Orzu, near the southern town of Kolkhozabad at the Tajik-Afghan
border.

Russian presidential aide Sergey Yastrzhembskiy raised the issue
with Tajik President Emomali Rahmonov during talks in the capital
Dushanbe.

"In the course of the meeting with President Rahmonov, we agreed
that it was important to begin rebroadcasting Russian television
programmes to Kabul," the aide told Russian TV.

Both sides also discussed bringing Russian TV channels back on the
air in Tajikistan, which could then be rebroadcast via the Orzu
transmitter to Afghanistan.

Since early October, Russian Public Television channel ORT has been
off the air in Tajikistan and transmissions of the Russian State
Television RTR have been cut back. Moscow had a long-standing
agreement with Tajikistan whereby it paid Dushanbe to relay Russian
TV.

The termination of Russian TV broadcasts "plunged the Tajik
population into an information vacuum", Russia's ITAR-TASS news
agency noted.

During the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan in the 1980s, Radio
Afghanistan broadcast both its domestic and international programmes
from powerful transmitters in former Soviet republics. The Tajik
transmitter in Orzu was one of the main facilities used by Radio
Afghanistan.

When the Moscow-backed Afghan president of the 1980s, Babrak Karmal,
made his inaugural speech on Radio Afghanistan it was relayed from
Orzu at the beginning of the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan.

Transmissions of Radio Afghanistan from Tajikistan and other Soviet
republics continued until the break-up of the Soviet Union in 1990.
They supplemented the domestic and international broadcasts from
Radio Afghanistan's own weaker transmitters inside Afghanistan.

The Tajik transmitter still works but not to full strength. The
Russian aide Yastrzhembskiy said restoration would be expensive, but
funding would hopefully come from the Russian state TV and radio
company's budget next year.

The aide told Russian TV that future Russian broadcasts "would be in
the interests of everyone, perhaps primarily those of the Afghan
people".

Although the Soviet Union broke up in 1990, Russia still sees the
former Soviet Central Asian states bordering Afghanistan -
Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan - as being its "backyard".

Russia's media expansion strategy could be a way of counterbalancing
increasing US influence in the region. So far, Russian cooperation
in the US campaign against terrorism has mainly been behind the
scenes - intelligence sharing and allowing the US military to use
Central Asian bases and Russian airspace. Russian troops have also
begun distributing humanitarian aid inside Afghanistan.

Since the US-led military campaign in Afghanistan began in October,
US psychological operations radio has been broadcast inside
Afghanistan. US public broadcaster, Voice of America (VOA), has
increased its services to Afghanistan, the Middle East, Central and
South Asia. And after 10 years, the US government-funded Radio Free
Europe/Radio Liberty will resume broadcasts to Afghanistan in
January. It is set to open an office in Kabul next February.

The Voice of Russia has matched VOA by increasing its combined
Dari/Pashto service to Afghanistan, as well as its Persian and Urdu
services.

Nevertheless, it remains to be seen whether Afghans will welcome the
return of Russian radio on the airwaves. Many of them have bitter
memories of the Russians. The country was at the centre of the so-
called "Great Game" in the 19th century when Imperial Russia and the
British Empire in India vied for influence. Many Afghans died in the
war against 10 years of occupation by Soviet troops, who intervened
in 1979 to prop up a pro-communist regime.

In the end, Tajikistan stands to gain economic aid and political
influence by assisting Russia's diplomatic manoeuvres in the region.
And through Tajikistan, which has close links to the Afghan Northern
Alliance, Russia may yet succeed in attracting an Afghan audience
for Russian TV and radio and counterbalancing US influence.

Source: BBC Monitoring research 6 Dec 01

Al-Jazeera's former Kabul correspondent describes experiences

Deteriorating law and order in Kabul forced the Al Jazeera Satellite
Channel's (JSC) team to flee the city, Taysir Alluni , the JSC
correspondent who was stationed in Kabul said on Monday [3
December].

According to a report on the web site of Qatari newsapaper The
Peninsula, Alluni spoke about his experiences at an award ceremony
organized by the Qatar Sports Club where he was honoured for his
coverage from Afghanistan during the US-led military campaign
against the Taleban.

He attributed success to the efforts of his technical team. Accor-
ding to Alluni, working in Afghanistan was extremely difficult,
adding that he escaped death several times during the bombardment of
the country by US-led forces and when the Northern Alliance troops
entered Kabul.

According to Alluni, JSC was under severe international pressure
during the military strikes. Several western satellite TV channels
attempted to cast doubts over the credibility of news reports and
other coverage as broadcast by JSC, said the paper.

Speaking of his escape from Kabul, Alluni said he was forced to flee
from the Afghan capital along with his team after he witnessed a
change in the security situation after the Northern Alliance took
over. "We fled at night, just a few hours before our office was hit
by a bomb dropped by a US aircraft. We left with Taleban forces", he
said, adding that satellite phones, cameras and associated video
equipment were all stolen. However, all the equipment was later
returned, he added.

"Following our exit from Kabul, JSC is coordinating with CNN", he
said, but claimed that CNN's coverage of Afghanistan was poor as
their correspondents are not familiar with the Afghan people and
their life.

The paper adds that Alluni refuted charges that JSC is biased in its
coverage. He said that the channel was broadcasting news that was
entirely different from that produced by other channels, whose
coverage was based on a particular agenda. "We were broadcasting
what he heard and saw, without any external influence", he added.

Source: The Peninsula web site, Doha, in English 5 Dec 01

Radio Voice of Afghanistan broadcasts

Radio Voice of Afghanistan, which is based in London, continues to
be observed on its scheduled frequency of 9950 kHz from 1330-1430
gmt daily...

Balkh Radio

Balkh Radio, which is based in the northern city of Mazar-e Sharif,
Balkh Province, continues to be heard. On Thursday 6 December, the
scheduled 0230-0430 morning broadcast was observed by BBC Monitoring
between 0325-0412 gmt (0755-0842 local time). Balkh Radio's evening
broadcast was observed from 1130 gmt until 1350 gmt, when the
broadcast ended without warning. (1600-1820 local time).
Broadcasts are on the usual frequency of 1584 kHz.

The BBC has not yet observed radio and TV broadcasts in the capital
Kabul... US PsyOps broadcasts continue...

Compiled by Foreign Media Unit, BBC Monitoring
Telephone +44 118 948 6261 e-mail: fmu@mon.bbc.co.uk
Source: BBC Monitoring research 6 Dec 01 (via DXLD 1-191)



Afghanistan: Media round-up Friday 7 December 2001 [excerpt]

Radio Voice of Afghanistan, which is based in London, continues to
be observed on its scheduled frequency of 9950 kHz from 1330-1430
gmt daily....

Today's news bulletin included the following reports:

- The Taleban surrender in Kandahar, Helmand, Zabol and Spin Boldak;

- Unknown whereabouts of Taleban leader Mola Omar and US rejection
of proposed amnesty for Mola Omar;

- Looting and disorder in Shahr-e Naw district in Kandahar;

- Northern Alliance commander in charge of Balkh Province Gen
Abdorrashid Dostum, pro-King opposition figure Pir Gaylani and the
governor of Herat, Esmail Khan oppose the new interim government
agreed upon at the Bonn conference.

- The end of the trial in UK of Afghans involved in the hijacking of
an Ariana Airlines Afghan aircraft which landed in London;

- Nangarhar Province authorities seem to be implementing provisions
of the Taleban Ministry for the Prevention of Vice and Promotion of
Virtue such as prohibiting anything depicting women; beards,
however, can be trimmed but not shaved.

Compiled by Foreign Media Unit, BBC Monitoring
Telephone +44 118 948 6261 e-mail: media@mon.bbc.co.uk
Source: BBC Monitoring research, 7 Dec 01 (via DXLD 1-192)

------------xxxxxxxxxx Sources xxxxxxxxxx----------------------

Thanks to the following contributors : Björn Fransson, Roland
Hofwiler

Source Abbreviations:

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
JAP    : Japan Premium-Japan
OBS    : Observer-Bulgaria
PDX    : Play DX-Italy
QIP    : QSL Information Pages-Germany
TDP    : Transmitter Documentation Project
TFW    : The Four Winds Online-Italy

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