Original U.S. Psychological Operations Leaflet Operation Iraqi Freedom, Iraq, 2003
Original double-sided U.S. psychological operations leaflet produced during Operation Iraqi Freedom in Iraq. Printed in Arabic, the leaflet depicts Iraqi military positioning within civilian and religious spaces, framing the regime as responsible for placing non-combatants at risk.
Operation: Operation Iraqi Freedom
Conflict / War: Iraq War
Year: 2003
Country / Theater: Iraq
Language(s): Arabic
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: “Saddam’s first line of defense is made up of innocent civilians.”
Back:
“The actions of Saddam Hussein are what have brought the world to war against Iraq. The coalition forces are making every effort to avoid harming innocent civilians. However, Saddam has placed some Iraqi citizens in military positions to be killed instead of protecting them. He is prepared to sacrifice all of you, along with holy sites and Iraq’s history, for his own survival.”
Imagery:
The front shows a stylized urban Iraqi setting with a mosque, residential buildings, and civilian infrastructure interspersed with military equipment including tanks and defensive positions. Civilians are depicted within the same space as military assets, visually reinforcing the claim that the regime is embedding forces among non-combatants and protected sites.
Objective:
To frame the Iraqi regime as responsible for civilian casualties by portraying it as deliberately using human shields and placing military targets within civilian and religious areas, thereby shifting moral responsibility away from coalition forces and encouraging distrust of the regime.
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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