Original U.S. Psychological Operations Leaflet AFD51c Operation Enduring Freedom, Afghanistan, 2001–2002
Original double-sided U.S. psychological operations leaflet produced during Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan. Printed in Dari and Pashto, the leaflet depicts the Taliban regime as controlled by foreign al-Qaeda leadership and urges Afghans to expel foreign rulers in order to live in peace.
Leaflet Number: AFD51c
Operation: Operation Enduring Freedom
Conflict / War: War in Afghanistan
Year: 2001–2002
Country / Theater: Afghanistan
Language(s): Dari and Pashto
Format: Original printed leaflet, double-sided
Provenance: Surplus copy retained outside field distribution. Acquired from the personal materials of an unnamed U.S. military servicemember. Never airdropped or field-distributed.
Translation:
Front: “Who is the real administrator of the Taliban regime?”
Back: “Expel the foreign rulers from the country and live in peace.”
Imagery:
The front shows Osama bin Laden holding Mullah Mohammed Omar on a chain, with Omar depicted as a dog standing on a map of Afghanistan. The reverse shows bin Laden seated over a chessboard shaped like Afghanistan, moving Taliban figures as pawns, visually framing the Taliban as controlled by foreign al-Qaeda leadership.
Objective:
To undermine Taliban legitimacy by portraying the regime as subordinate to foreign al-Qaeda control, encouraging Afghans to reject foreign influence and separate themselves from Taliban rule.
Featured in American War Propaganda Leaflets, 1990–2022, Khajistan Press.
Exhibited in Khajistan: Office of War Information (O.W.I.) at Pioneer Works, New York, May 08 – Aug 09, 2026.
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