Summary

Title:	Taliban Propaganda - winning the war of words
Author:	International Crisis Group
Publication:	ICG Paper
Date:	24 Jul 08

Paper is by ICG (International Crisis Group) on Taliban Propaganda (dated 24 Jul 08). It is worth reading the exec summary and then sections 3C and 4 (pp12-24) which covers how they spread the messages and the general themes. One can't help but be struck by the very proactive and responsive nature of their IO - website updated several times per day, journalists texted and phoned, availability "…journalists stressed that the TB spokesmen responded to queries around the clock in sharp contrast to government and international officials…"

Means of spreading the message include:

• Night Letters (sometimes by others in their name eg criminal gangs)

• Text Messaging

• Pamphlets/Magazines

• DVDs, MP3s - mainly aimed at recruitment - tales of heroism, stirring music/poems etc.

• Online - 5 languages updated several times a day

• Audio Tapes & Poetry - along with night letters probably the most effective - songs increasingly available as ring tones

Message Themes:

• Foreign Presence - undermine our legitimacy makes use of:

• Detentions, Gitmo and Bagram

• Civilian Casualties

• Long-term intentions (machiavellian western plots)

• Western decadence

• Their own legitimacy and power

• They are unflagging and will be there when the foreigners leave and their puppets collapse

• The corruption of the govt - they swept to power on the basis of their anti-corruption position - the corrupt individuals are now back in power again - these are the same leaders who caused so much damage and deaths in the civil war

• Their ability to project their power - descriptions of strategy, strategic effects, 'operations'.

• Religious and cultural justification for their positions and actions

Themes Avoided:

• Narcotics

• Women

• Tribalism (short section on p25 warning against making too much of AFG tribes)

• The wider world and in particular PAK

• Governance - their own internal governance (they like to portray themselves as more cohesive than they are) and their plans for governance (lack of and poor previous performance)

Final section discusses how cohesive they are with other INS groups. A common theme throughout is their inability to control all messaging and their intense frustration when INS go 'off message' they even rebut some statements! This would appear to be a vulnerability in their IO that can be exploited both directly and also through black psyops (not that NATO can do that!)

.

D M A COUZENS

LTC GBR-A

SO1 SAG

080809-1960-NUI-TB Propaganda-Summary.doc

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