WASHINGTON—Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) announced at their annual fall reception at the Newseum on Sept. 17 the launch of their new broadcasts to the Afghan-Pakistani border region.
Richard Holbrooke, the U.S. special envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan, said at the dedication of the new broadcasts, “We cannot concede the battle to the Taliban,” and “Why we are in Pakistan and Afghanistan, and why we are there as friends” needs to be explained to the local populations.
The Pashtun regions of Pakistan, where the new RFE/RL programs are to be broadcast, have harbored terrorists and Islamist militant organizations such as the Taliban. One of its tactics lies in using extremist radio stations to spread propaganda and misinformation.
The RFE/RL Radio Free Afghanistan’s new six-hour local Pashto-language news and events programs will increase the quality and reach of Radio Free Afghanistan, which currently has a nationwide weekly audience in Afghanistan of 7.9 million adults. The new programs are funded by the $10 million FY 2009 Afghan War Supplemental authorized by Congress.
Richard Holbrooke, the U.S. special envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan, said at the dedication of the new broadcasts, “We cannot concede the battle to the Taliban,” and “Why we are in Pakistan and Afghanistan, and why we are there as friends” needs to be explained to the local populations.
The Pashtun regions of Pakistan, where the new RFE/RL programs are to be broadcast, have harbored terrorists and Islamist militant organizations such as the Taliban. One of its tactics lies in using extremist radio stations to spread propaganda and misinformation.
The RFE/RL Radio Free Afghanistan’s new six-hour local Pashto-language news and events programs will increase the quality and reach of Radio Free Afghanistan, which currently has a nationwide weekly audience in Afghanistan of 7.9 million adults. The new programs are funded by the $10 million FY 2009 Afghan War Supplemental authorized by Congress.
