'Psyops' Use Psychology To Beat Taliban; The Info Warriors Strive To Demoralize And Strike Fear In Hostile Afghans

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The Detroit News

WASHINGTON Among the U.S. special operations forces massing along the border of Afghanistan in preparation for strikes against Osama bin Laden and his Taliban protectors are a small cadre of soldiers whose mission is not to capture bodies as much as hearts and minds.

In this new war on terrorism, specialists in psychological operations or "psyops" will use old methods of persuasion to influence the behavior and emotions of enemy forces and hostile civilians in Afghanistan.

Armed with mobile broadcast stations, leaflets and loudspeakers, these information warriors will seek to demoralize and strike fear in the Taliban while bucking up Afghan refugees and assuring them that bin Laden is the real enemy.

To convey the message, the 193rd Special Operations Wing in Harrisburg, PA, has been deployed. The Air National Guard unit flies six EC130E "Commando Solo" aircraft, which are airborne broadcast stations that can monitor and jam electronic transmissions. A spokesman wouldn't say where they are, but they are likely at air bases in Afghanistan's neighbors Uzbekistan or Tajikistan.

Analysts say it is almost certain that soldiers from the 4th Psychological Operations Group at Fort Bragg, N.C., which operates Commando Solo's radio and TV equipment, have been sent to the region.

"The information campaign is very important both strategically and with respect to Afghanistan," says William Nash, a retired Army two star general at the Council on Foreign Relations. "We need to talk directly to the Afghan people."

Prohibited by U.S. law from trying to influence Americans, psyops soldiers say they share facts with foreigners and market democracy and the American way of life.

Like all special operations missions, psyops are veiled in secrecy. But psyops veterans say past wars point to the kinds of methods and messages the Army is likely to use in Central Asia.

Whether through radio broadcasts, leaflets or bullhorns, U.S. forces will try to "make it clear this is not a war against the Afghan people, that this is a war against bin Laden," says James Phillips, a Middle East and terrorism expert at the Heritage Foundation. "We could exploit existing cleavages" by targeting Taliban commanders whose loyalties stem more from bribes than ideology by promising them payoffs or a role in a future Afghan government, he says.
Broadcasts and written materials will be tailored and tested with Afghan Americans. Cultural sensitivities are crucial, says Herb Friedman, a retired Army psyops soldier. "There will be religious leaflets taking various phrases from the Quran that speak of peace and not killing one's neighbors," he predicts. "There will be photographs of dead women and children and the question 'Is this what Allah teaches?' "

The largest audience may be refugees fleeing Afghanistan. Psyops soldiers will likely spread the word that food being distributed by relief organizations to prevent widespread famine was paid for by the United States.

Psyops officials have had successes. Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega surrendered in 1990 after heavy metal rock music blared for three earsplitting days at the Vatican embassy where he was holed up. Thousands of Iraqis were persuaded through leaflets and loudspeakers to give up during the Gulf War. In one case, 500 Iraqis left their bunker to surrender to three psyops soldiers armed with bullhorns