Pentagon Jams Web, Radio Links of Taliban

[steven johnson]

Looks like the US is expanding it's "psychological operations" by jamming Taliban operations and starting US funded radio stations in eastern Afghanistan. If we are going to war, we sould contest every easy ground.

APRIL 18, 2009
Wall Street Journal-World


By YOCHI J. DREAZEN and SIOBHAN GORMAN
WASHINGTON -- The Obama administration is starting a broad effort in Pakistan and Afghanistan to prevent the Taliban from using radio stations and Web sites to intimidate civilians and plan attacks, according to senior U.S. officials.

As part of the classified effort, American military and intelligence personnel are working to jam the unlicensed radio stations in Pakistan's lawless regions on the Afghanistan border that Taliban fighters use to broadcast threats and decrees.

U.S. personnel are also trying to block the Pakistani chat rooms and Web sites that are part of the country's burgeoning extremist underground. The Web sites frequently contain videos of attacks and inflammatory religious material that attempts to justify acts of violence.

In Pakistan, Taliban leaders use unlicensed FM stations to recite the names of local Pakistani government officials, police officers and other figures who have been marked for death by the group. Hundreds of people named in the broadcasts have later been killed, according to U.S. and Pakistani officials.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124001042575330715.html