Original Babrak (ببرک) – Afghan Anti-Communist Jihad Propaganda Poster - Original
Afghanistan and Pakistan | Dari and English | 1981 to 1985
An original poster printed in Peshawar between 1981 and 1985 by the Internal Islamic Fronts of Afghanistan, the group of Professor Sayyed Mahmood. It shows Babrak Karmal, head of the Soviet-backed government in Kabul, as a horned beast marked with the hammer and sickle and run through with a sword. About 1,000 copies were printed of each design and carried through Afghanistan and Pakistan. The sheet measures 9 by 13.5 inches. It comes from the family of a diplomat posted to Afghanistan during the Soviet-Afghan War.
Exhibited in Office of War Information (O.W.I.), Pioneer Works, New York, 2026.
Country: Afghanistan / Pakistan
Date range: 1981–1985
Object type: Original propaganda poster
Count: 1 poster
Dimensions: 9 × 13.5 in.
Printer / Publisher: Internal Islamic Fronts of Afghanistan
Associated figure: Professor Sayyed Mahmood; Babrak Karmal
Production place: Peshawar, Pakistan
Languages: Dari/Persian, English
Subjects: Babrak Karmal, Soviet-Afghan War, anti-communism, mujahidin, Soviet-backed Kabul regime, hammer and sickle, jihad propaganda
Production / dissemination: approximately 1,000 copies per design; circulated in Afghanistan and Pakistan
Provenance: Acquired from the family of a former diplomat stationed in Afghanistan during the Soviet–Afghan War (1979–1989).
Historical context
Soviet forces entered Afghanistan in December 1979 and installed Babrak Karmal as head of government. The poster attacks Karmal personally, depicting him with a hammer and sickle on his body.
Sources: US Department of State, Afghanistan historical background.
Exhibited in Khajistan: Office of War Information (O.W.I.) at Pioneer Works, New York, May 09 – Aug 09, 2026.
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