Afghanistan reactivates on mediumwave

 

Afghanistan    

The mediumwave transmitter at Kandahar has been reactivated on 864 kHz according to various reports. Radio 'Voice of Sharia' is being set up in a border province to "prevent propaganda by enemies" the RTA director stated at its inauguration.

(BBC monitoring 9 April; via <mediumwavfe.info>  via 'Communication' magazine May 2025; BrDXC-UK groups io)

Read additional information at: 

https://www.lbc.co.uk/news/taliban-rename-radio-station-voice-sharia-capture-kandahar-afghanistan/

Ffrom archive:  Taliban change the Radio Afghanistan name to 'Voice of Sharia'.Taliban take over radio station 

Here in India, we catch the 6100 kHz. But it is inactive. But news sources said they are broadcasting only on FM. They stopped to play the film songs. In the meantime Radio Afghanistan official website was also

under construction. More details are awaited from the monitoring people.

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/south-asia/taliban-take-over-radio-station-after-capturing-kandahar/articleshow/85321788.cms

https://www.news18.com/news/world/taliban-take-over-radio-station-inkandahar-renames-it-voice-of-sharia-no-more-music-likely-4084781.html

https://nypost.com/2021/08/14/taliban-take-over-radio-station-after-capturing-afghan-city-kandahar/

https://www.opindia.com/2021/08/taliban-captures-tv-radio-stationsafghanistan-broadcast-threats-voice-of-shariah/

(Jaisakthivel, Ardic DXC, Chennai-IND, HCDX Aug 15, 2021 )

(WWDXC-Top News 1617/10 May 2025)

RFE/RL Expands Broadcasts to Afghanistan Despite Taliban Ban

 

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty’s (RFE/RL) award-winning programming is now available 24 hours a day for millions of Afghan listeners who have come to rely on the broadcaster in the last two decades. Two months after the Taliban removed RFE/RL from AM and FM radio transmitters in Afghanistan, Azadi, as RFE/RL is known locally, is doubling its time on air providing Afghans with independent news in the Dari and Pashto languages. From 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. local time, Azadi is broadcasts on mediumwave on 1296 kHz, while during the second half of the day, programming is available on shortwave.

This broadcasting milestone comes on Azadi’s 21st anniversary, and further solidifies RFE/RL’s role as a true public broadcaster – the only non-governmental radio broadcaster available 24/7 in Afghanistan. In the last two decades, Azadi has become a staple of everyday life. Afghans frequently referred to Azadi as their “national broadcaster,” and its mix of news and information is commonly heard in public settings in the country, from marketplaces to taxis.

“Our expanded programming for Afghan audiences is indicative of the resilience and creativity of our team and their dedication to continuing to reach our audiences in Afghanistan in the face of extreme Taliban pressure,” said RFE/RL President and CEO Jamie Fly. “Azadi will now be available for Afghans day and night to give them hope for a better future.”

Despite significant pressure from the Taliban, RFE/RL continues to provide bold coverage of stories suppressed by state media. Azadi has given a platform for the most vulnerable -- women and girls, victims of violent extremism, the LGBTQI+ community, and youth -- to share their experiences. At every step, Azadi has responded to the Taliban’s restrictive governance: when the Taliban forbade music, Azadi continued to play music on air; when the Taliban banned women from public life, Azadi gave women space to tell their stories; when the Taliban barred girls from attending school, Azadi and Learn Afghanistan provided a rigorous curriculum over the radio. For 21 years, Azadi has helped the powerless find community and hope.

In contrast to official Taliban claims, Afghans have again and again expressed their appreciation and gratitude to RFE/RL for providing a vital public service. RFE/RL will continue to find new and innovative ways to reach audiences.

Afghanistan is one of the most dangerous places in the world for journalists, and RFE/RL journalists have paid the ultimate price for their commitment to a free press. In 2018, three Radio Azadi journalists -- Maharram Durrani, Abadullah Hananzai, and Sabawoon Kakar -- were killed in a suicide bomb attack in Kabul. In 2020, Mohammad Ilyas Dayee was killed in a targeted bomb attack.

https://pressroom.rferl.org/a/rferl-expands-broadcasts-to-afghanistan-despite-taliban-ban-/32246210.html

Deutsche Welle resumes programming to Afghanistan

 

Deutsche Welle has resumed its shortwave service for Afghanistan according to A-21 HFCC update on August 24:

All times UTC

Effective: 13 September

1400-1430 on 15230*NAU 250 kW / 096 deg to WeAs Dari

1400-1430 on 15390 DHA 250 kW / 045 deg to WeAs Dari

1430-1500 on 15230*NAU 250 kW / 096 deg to WeAs Pashto

1430-1500 on 15390 DHA 250 kW / 045 deg to WeAs Pashto

*alternative 15180 DHA 250 kW / 048 deg to WeAs Dari

*alternative 15180 DHA 250 kW / 048 deg to WeAs Pashto

(DXB 25 Aug 2021)

NAU (Nauen, Germany)

DHA (United Arab Emirates)

Thank you to new contributor, Kanwar Sandhu for the information, the new programming is effective on 13 September.

Opinion: The U.S. government left its own journalists from VOA and Radio Liberty behind in Afghanistan

 

Opinion by Josh Rogin

Columnist

Yesterday at 6:04 p.m. EDT

Now that the U.S. troop withdrawal from Afghanistan is complete, many stories of heroic efforts to save Americans and Afghan allies are pouring out, each describing one facet of the chaos and dysfunction that plagued the effort to evacuate all of those in Kabul who had placed their trust in the United States. Among the most tragic examples is the story of how the Biden administration left behind more than 100 government-sponsored journalists, plus their families, after putting them through three weeks of hell.

The administration was warned early and often about the 600 or so employees, contractors, and family members who worked for U.S.-sponsored news organizations under the umbrella of the U.S. Agency for Global Media, a federal agency funded by Congress. They include journalists working for the Voice of America (VOA) and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) who have worked in Afghanistan for years — at great personal risk. The Taliban has killed four RFE/RL journalists since 2016 through suicide bomb attacks, and the company’s journalists routinely receive death threats from the extremists.

Additional story at: https://tinyurl.com/thea9ncj

(Washington Post)

(phone: International Federation of Journalists)

Taliban capture TV and radio station in Afghanistan

 

(photo via Hindustan Times)

Taliban captures TV and radio stations in Afghanistan to broadcast threats and warnings and to also propagate the ‘Voice of Shariah’

According to Nabbharat Times, the Taliban have taken over the TV station to broadcast threats and warnings and to also propagate the Taliban’s Voice of Shariah.

Taliban has upped its ground offensive ever since the US has started withdrawing its troops from Afghanistan. For the last five days, fierce fighting has broken out in three major cities in the south and west Afghanistan, namely Herat, Lashkar Gah and Kandahar, as Taliban militants seek to seize them from government forces. According to Hindi daily Navbharat Times, the Taliban, on August 2 (Monday) captured a radio station in Lashkar Gah.

Additional story at: www.tinyurl.com/4avb7mtz

Afghanistan monitoring observations

Kabul transmitter is still present tonight on 1107kHz with announcements and Quran reading (via SDR Haparanda Sweden)

(Franck Baste (BDXC 1467)

621 kHz 0100 - 1900 UT

1107 kHz 0030 - 1930 UT

1296 kHz 0030 - 1730 UT

(W. Bueschel/HCDX)

At 1825 UTC on 1107 kHz just after reading from Quran, there was announcement "Emarat Islami Afghanistan" by male announcer, instead of 'Islami Republic of Afghanistan', station taken over ?

(Alokesh Gupta, India/HCDX)

Also, 1107 kHz still IDed as Radyoe Afghanistan and on 621 kHz Deewa Radio in normal operation; 1296 kHz carries VOA Ashna Radio // 7495 kHz at 1555 UTC.

(Mauno Mauno Ritola/HCDX) 

Taliban takeover: What we know so far

President Ashraf Ghani left Afghanistan on Sunday following hours of negotiations for a peaceful transition of power, as the Taliban amassed its fighters around the capital Kabul.

The development comes in the wake of the Taliban’s stunning victory on the battlefield, capturing more than a dozen provincial capitals in less than two weeks.

Additional story at: www.tinyurl.com/ydj3k84h 

(photo via Navbharat Times)

Taliban take over radio station after capturing Kandahar

Here in India we try to catch the 6100 kHz. But it is in-active. But news sources said, they are broadcasting only on FM. They stopped to play the film songs. In the meantime Radio Afghanistan's official website were also under construction. More details awaiting from the monitoring people.(Jaisakthivel, Ardic DX Club, Chennai, India/HCDX 16 Aug 2021)

11 Taliban Members Killed in US Airstrike as Fighters Sweep Afghan Provinces, Thousands Flee

Taliban now have their eyes on Mazar-i-Sharif, the biggest city in the north, whose fall would signal the total collapse of government control. At least 11 Taliban members were killed in a B-52 airstrike by US forces in Kapisa province’s Nijrab district on Tuesday morning, TOLO News quoted a provincial police spokesman as saying.

Additional story at: www.tinyurl.com/7ntf4c 

Who is Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar? The Taliban leader who is rumoured to become the next president of Afghanistan

www.tinyurl.com/aesjd6dy

Additional News Sources with text and video

Sky News 

www.skynews.com

Fox News

https://www.foxnews.com/

Bongino Report

https://bonginoreport.com/

Reuters

https://www.reuters.com/

Keeping a Focus on Afghanistan as Taliban closes in

 

(photo via VOA)

Al-Qaida Will Return to Afghanistan, British Official Says

By Jamie Dettmer

August 13, 2021 08:09 AM

British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace warned Friday that Afghanistan risks becoming a failed state and predicted a-Qaida will again thrive in the country.

“I’m absolutely worried that failed states are breeding grounds for those types of people,” he told British broadcaster Sky News.

Hours earlier Wallace announced Britain will dispatch hundreds of combat-ready paratroopers to Kabul to help evacuate more than 4,000 Britons and as many as 2,000 Afghans, who are likely to be killed by the Taliban for working with the British military. Additional text at: https://tinyurl.com/4d44tfx5

All times UTC

Current summer schedules for a selection of stations that likely will have news updates on the strife in Afghanistan. Observations and corrections are welcome at w4gvh@frontier.com

Afghanistan

The following Afghanistan listing may be inactive

6100 R.Afghanistan 1530-1730  daily  English/Dari

1107 R.Afghanistan 0100-1830  daily  Pashto/Dari

Algeria

Radio Algerienne/Chaine 1

198 R.Algerienne Chaine 1 0000-2400  Arabic

7295 R.Algerienne Chaine 1 0513-0558  Arabic

9535 R.Algerienne Chaine 1 0513-0558  Arabic

11985 R.Algerienne Chaine 1 1913-1958  Arabic

12060 R.Algerienne Chaine 1 1913-1958  Arabic

5940 R.Algerienne Chaine 1 2100-2158  Arabic

5930 R.Algerienne Chaine 1 2213-2258  Arabic

7295 R.Algerienne Chaine 1 0500-0513  French

9535 R.Algerienne Chaine 1 0500-0513  French

11985 R.Algerienne Chaine 1 1900-1913  French

12060 R.Algerienne Chaine 1 1900-1913  French

5930 R.Algerienne Chaine 1 2200-2213  French

252         R.Algerienne Chaine 3 0000-2400  French

6050 R.Algerienne Holy Qur`an  0400-0458  Arabic

9620 R.Algerienne Holy Qur`an  0600-0658  Arabic

13815 R.Algerienne Holy Qur`an  1800-1858  Arabic

9510 R.Algerienne Holy Qur`an  2000-2058  Arabic

9655 R.Algerienne Holy Qur`an  2000-2058  Arabic

5930 R.Algerienne Holy Qur`an  2100-2158  Arabic

Iran

IRIB/VOIRI / daily

7410 1520-1620  English

9835 1920-2020  English

9855 1920-2020  English

Kuwait

Radio Kuwait / daily

540         0000-2400       Arabic

1134 0000-2400 Arabic

5960 0255-0900 Arabic

15530 0500-0800 Arabic check 15455 kHz

15515 0500-0900 Arabic

9750 1100-1600 Arabic

11630 1300-1600 Arabic

17550 2000-2400 Arabic

9730 0800-1000 English

17760 1000-1200 Filipino

7250 0800-1000 Persian

15110  DRM 0945-1325 Arabic(Digital)

13650  DRM 1700-2000 Arabic(Digital)

11970  DRM 0500-0815 English(Digital)

15540  DRM 1800-2100 English(Digital)

15540  DRM 1600-1800 Urdu(Digital)

Oman (may be irregular or inactive)

Radio Sultanate of Oman / daily

1242 0000-2400 Arabic

13600 0400-1000 Arabic

15140 1500-1800 Arabic

15140 1400-1500 English

Saudi Arabia

Radio Saudi International / daily

15120 0900-1157 Bengali

17660 1355-1600 French

21670 0900-1157 Indonesian

9695 1358-1557 Pashto

7240 1157-1355 Persian

7240 1357-1757 Persian

13720 0700-0855 Somali

15285 0400-0657 Swahili

9885 1730-1750 Tajik

9675 1755-2057 Turkish

9885 1554-1700 Turkmen

13775 1200-1457 Urdu

9885 1700-1730 Uzbek

Turkey

Voice of Turkey / daily

7275 0255-0358  English

6165 0300-0358 English

15450 1230-1328 English

15520 1630-1728 English

5945 1830-1928 English

9875 2030-2128 English

9830 2200-2300 English

(Teak Publishing)

Fleeing Fighting, Afghans Flood into Kabul and Gather at Pakistan Border

 

(via Arab News)

Tens of thousands of people have been flooding into the Afghan capital, Kabul, and gathering at the Pakistan border to escape the escalating fighting between Taliban militants and government forces.

As more provincial capitals fell to the Taliban, Afghanistan's Refugees and Repatriations Ministry said that more than 35,000 families had arrived in the capital over the last week and that officials are struggling to provide them food and shelter.

Afghanistan’s looming collapse

Abubakar Siddique

This week’s rapid-fire events raised the specter of Afghanistan falling to the Taliban, which took over the country’s second and third cities after securing at least 10 provincial capitals.

With an apparent balance of power in its favor, the militants are set to march on Kabul, where Washington and allies are rushing in fresh troops to help evacuate diplomats and other civilians. (See our interactive map of how Taliban control is expanding as the government’s authority shrinks across Afghanistan.)

As Frud Bezhan reports, the Taliban's capture of Herat and Kandahar is a major turning point in the war. “The simultaneous fall of Ghazni, Herat, and Kandahar has definitely shifted the balance of power in favor of the Taliban,” Ali Adili, a researcher in Kabul, told us. “Residents of Kabul feel the inevitability of the city being the next possible target.” Additional story at: 

tinyurl.com/357amcd3

How the Taliban's Leadership is Structured

https://gandhara.rferl.org/a/afghanistan-war-taliban-command-leaders/31396787.html

RTA Radio Afghanistan is inactive on shortwave, and the status of 1107 AM kHz is not known. It was previously listed as 0100-1830 UTC in Dari/Pashto services. The RTA website http://atra.gov.af/en  is not active. There is a Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/rtaworld/. Warning to viewers there are disturbing images.

The RTA Twitter page, RTA World is present at https://twitter.com/rtaworld?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor

U.S. airstrikes destroy ISIS 'Voice of Caliphate' in Afghanistan

U.S. airstrikes have destroyed an Islamic State-operated radio station in a remote part of eastern Afghanistan, officials said Tuesday.

"Voice of the Caliphate" radio was destroyed by two U.S. airstrikes, according to a U.S. military official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to brief media on the subject.

Army Col. Mike Lawhorn, spokesman for the U.S.-NATO mission in Afghanistan, said U.S. forces conducted two "counter-terrorism airstrikes" late Monday in Achin district, in the eastern Nangarhar province, without elaborating.

Additional story at: http://www.foxnews.com/world/2016/02/02/us-airstrikes-destroy-isis-voice-caliphate-radio-station-in-afghanistan.html 

VOA considers adding Balochi service

The chairman of the Broadcasting Board of Governors, the agency that operates the Voice of America, has said the VOA will put the adding of a Balochi language service on its agenda.

Walter Isaacson, celebrated editor, book author and intellectual, who heads the VOA, was a guest speaker at a National Press Club luncheon Friday hosted for world-renowned blogger and his old friend Arianna Huffington, president and editor-in-chief of Huffington Post Media Group, and Tim Armstrong, chairman and CEO of AOL.

After the event, to a question from this correspondent, Isaacson said he will take up the matter of adding Balochi language service in real earnest.

He repeated his promise he will take up the issue of adding Balochi language as he left the NPC building.

The chairman of the Broadcasting Board of Governors, the agency that operates the Voice of America, has said the VoA will put the adding of a Balochi language service on its agenda.

He repeated his promise he will take up the issue of adding Balochi language as he left the NPC building.

Continue reading at on Examiner.com www.examiner.com/foreign-policy-in-baltimore/voa-balochi#ixzz1SSj2cpy2

Radio Azadi's Radio Distribution Drive in Afghanistan

Since September, RFE’s (Radio Free Europe's) Afghan service Radio Azadi -- the most popular radio station in the country -- has been distributing 20,000 hand-cranked and solar powered radios to people all across Afghanistan. The aim of the project is to promote access to news and information, especially in rural and remote areas where illiteracy rates are among the highest in the world and where radio is often the only means for people to receive news.

Continued story and photos at Radio Free Europe/ Radio Liberty: http://www.rferl.org/content/off_mic_radio_azadi_distribution_drive/2241690.html

Radio Azadi launches interactive SMS service

Radio Azadi, Radio Free Europe's Afghan station, has launched an interactive SMS service that is connecting the station more directly with its audience, especially villagers in remote, inaccessible regions who are often cut off from news and information. Thanks to a recent partnership between RFE and mobile service provider Etisalat, mobile phone users in Afghanistan can now subscribe to free SMS news updates and emergency alerts from Radio Azadi.

“The exciting thing is that it’s not just Radio Azadi sending news to subscribers,” says RFE Associate Director of Broadcasting Akbar Ayazi. “It’s our subscribers sending news back to us. Since the project launched less than a month ago, we’ve already received more than 5,000 text messages from people all around the country - this ‘citizen journalism’ is unique in Afghanistan.”

Each morning and evening, Etisalat customers who subscribe to the free service receive news headlines from Radio Azadi in either Dari or Pashto. They also get SMS messages on their phones with breaking news and emergency alerts. In addition to texts, Mr Ayazi says subscribers will soon be able to send Radio Azadi photos and videos from their mobile devices. He says the station has launched a new weekly programme in which many of the SMS messages it receives are read on the air.

Despite being one of the poorest countries in the world, Afghanistan has 17 million mobile phone subscriptions out of a population of 29 million.
(Source: RFE/RL/R Netherlands Media Network Weblog)

Taliban propaganda employs leaflets, sermons and clandestine radio

Ernesto Londono: "The Taliban continues to rely heavily on decentralized, conventional propaganda efforts, which U.S. military officials say is the crucial battleground. These include the distribution of leaflets with threats or pleas, sermons in mosques and clandestine radio stations. 'They've co-opted the religious narrative for the last several years,' Rear Adm. Greg Smith, NATO's communications chief in Afghanistan, said in an interview. 'They've used that narrative locally very effectively.' Foreign troops, meanwhile, are ill-equipped to offer counterarguments in mosques and other gatherings, forcing them to rely on Afghan officials to do so, Smith said. So far, that effort has been slow in the Taliban's southern strongholds of Kandahar and Helmand provinces, even as Taliban influence has spread in the east and the north, Afghans say." -- Nevertheless, the propaganda war, as with the military war, must ultimately be fought by Afghans who are opposed to the resumption of Taliban rule. The best the United States can do is to fight propaganda with non-propaganda, i.e. the credible information that causes propaganda to wither.
Washington Post, 02 Oct 2010/Kim Elliott blogspot)
photo: UN/unhcr.org

US military a hit with Radio in a Box program

US soldiers from Task Force Iron Rakkasan have helped turn radio broadcasters in western Paktika Province, Afghanistan into celebrities amongst the local population. Under the Radio in a Box program, local DJs use radio broadcast equipment located on US bases to broadcast Afghan programming. The program also gives out hand-cranked radios to locals.
(R Netherlands Media Network Weblog)

Additional story and video at:
http://www.cjtf101.com/regional-command-east-news-mainmenu-401/2935-local-dj-celebrity-to-his-afghan-listeners.html

NATO radio launches in Afghanistan

Text of press release from International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) Joint Command on 22 April

Herat: Music, local news and in-depth discussions on important social issues and local culture are now more prevalent in western Afghanistan.

A NATO radio network station began broadcasting from Camp Arena recently, offering public-interest content to help local residents better understand the purpose of ISAF forces in Afghanistan.

Radio is the main tool to disseminate information throughout Afghanistan and can reach people even in the most remote areas, easily crossing the boundaries of literacy and distance. The radio station will provide an important contribution to the growth and social development of the country and provide immediate information in case of emergencies.

The broadcast selection is chosen by local personnel and closely connected with the target audience, the population of Regional Command-West’s area of responsibility. For this reason, all of the programmes are broadcast exclusively in the Pashto and Dari.

Mr. Guido Crosetto, under-secretary of state for the Italian Ministry of Defence, turned on the “On Air” light and spoke over the air during the ribbon-cutting ceremony Monday [19 April].

“Sada and Azadi West Radio [The Voice of Freedom - West],” said Mr Crosetto, “is a media that relies entirely upon an Afghan journalism staff and offers objective information on Afghanistan to all the citizens of the four western provinces - to city dwellers and those living in more isolated communities. The programming of Sada and Azadi Radio will pay attention to your proud traditions and prestigious culture without neglecting the specific needs of your everyday life. It is a service tool and an entertainment tool; a new voice that will increase the conscious participation in the democratic life of this country.”

The Task Force Commander Maj Renato Rocchetti directs and manages the new radio station, which is manned by an Italian Air Force NCO and three local journalists. Other staff members will be added soon.

The station was developed, with Italian funding, by the men and women of the Regional PSYOPS Support Element (RPSE), composed by personnel of 28th Regiment “Pavia,” a unit specializing in operating communications equipment.
(Source: ISAF website, in English 22 Apr 10 via BBC Monitoring/R Netherlands Media Network Weblog)

U S fights Taliban on airwaves

GOLESTAN: "You're listening to W.IED 102.5 FM 'the bomb'," joked Staff Sergeant Todd Bowers as he slotted another cassette of religious chants into his portable radio station.

While most of the battles fought by US Marines in restive Farah province are against improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and guns, Bowers, 30, is fighting a war of words to win the hearts and minds of people in rural western Afghanistan.

The radio station - a portable deck and 45-foot antennae at the military base in Golestan - began as a chance to give local villagers a taste of the music they were banned from hearing under the hardline Taliban rule.

Continued story at Channel News Asia
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/afp_asiapacific/view/1009564/1/.html
(Alokesh Gupta, India)

Taliban winning the new media war 2.0 ?
The skilful use of old and new media technologies by terrorist organisations threaten to undermine the efforts of Coalition armed forces in countries such as Afghanistan and Pakistan, according to an Australian National University (ANU) researcher.

Speaking to Computerworld ahead of the War 2.0: Political Violence and New Media conference being held at the ANU, Prakash Mirchandai, a visiting fellow at the ANU Strategic and Defence Studies Centre, said terrorist organisations such as Al Qaeda had successfully harnessed technologies such as video and mobile phones to bypass Coalition messages conveyed by mainstream media.

“If you look at where the Taliban is getting its message across to the non-committed Afghanis it is through video,” he said. “They’re shooting Jihadist videos which are very sophistically edited and put on DVDs and the Internet.”

Full story at Compuetworld
http://www.computerworld.com.au/article/321114/taliban_winning_new_media_war_2_0
(R Netherlands Media Network weblog)

Former Afghan Star host joins Voice of America

PRESS RELEASE - Washington, D.C., September 14, 2009 - Daoud Sediqi, former host of Afghan Star, one of Afghanistan's most popular and groundbreaking television programs, has joined the Voice of America (VOA) in the United States, where he moved to escape Taliban threats.

"VOA is an important channel in Afghanistan," said Sediqi, who works for VOA's Afghan Service. "It is the one place I can work and do something for my country."

Sediqi, 29, sought and was granted asylum in the United States after he came to this country for the airing of an award-winning documentary, Afghan Star, at the prestigious Sundance Film Festival in Utah earlier this year. He later joined VOA as a Pashto-speaking radio broadcaster.

"We are excited to have Daoud on our team," said Beth Mendelson, VOA's Afghan Service Chief. "Our audiences in Afghanistan enjoy having one of the country's biggest stars back on the airwaves."

During the Taliban regime, Sediqi repaired televisions to help support his family. After the U.S.-led invasion ousted the Taliban in 2001, Sediqi turned his passion for music into a profession. He was hired by a popular FM radio station in Kabul, and was later asked to produce Afghan Star, which showcases musical talent.

While Afghan Star made him a celebrity - his audience often topped 11 million - his popularity also brought death threats from Islamic militants who shun music, especially music performed by women.

After Sundance, Sediqi says he realized he would be in serious danger if he returned to Afghanistan. And while he misses his homeland and his program, he says here in the United States, "You can talk! Freedom! Believe me, I can be what I want to be. I want to think like a free man."

Sediqi discussed his decision to come to the United States on YouTube at www.youtube.com/watch?v=4mXrynabFTg .

VOA's Afghan Service broadcasts in Dari www.VOANews.com/ Dari and Pashto (www.voanews.com/ /Pashto) on radio, TV and Internet.
(Voice of America)

BBC World Service does not want to report "from behind barriers" in Afghanistan

"News organisations have warned that the deteriorating security situation in Afghanistan could affect their coverage of the conflict in the country, following the rescue of a kidnapped New York Times journalist in which a British soldier was killed early today. ... Peter Horrocks, the director of the BBC World Service, which runs a Persian-language TV and radio service in the country, said that the organisation was preparing for a long war. 'We hear what the politicians and the military are saying. We are gearing up for a story we have to cover for a long time to come,' he added. Horrocks ackowledged that 'there are some parts of the country where it is impossible to operate without being on the side of the western military', but said the BBC was determined to avoid 'report[ing] from behind barriers'. He added that 'experienced [local] stringers and reporters' could 'sometimes operate more effectively than western reporters' in Afghanistan and that the World Service would continue to use them widely. 'Some of the reporting about the aftermath of the elections and [allegations] of fraud has been dug up by members of the Persian TV team,' he said." James Robinson, The Guardian, 9 September 2009
(Kim Elliott blog)

Radio Station Gives Voice to Remote Afghan Region

By Army Sgt. Matthew C. Moeller, Special to American Forces Press Service

NURISTAN PROVINCE, Afghanistan - NATO's International Security Assistance Force is giving voice to residents of this remote area through a radio station run by one of their own.

When Shaib Dad Hamdard was growing up here near the Pakistan border, he dreamed of being a voice to his people. Now, with the turn of a dial and the flick of the switch, he's on air at Kalagush Radio, reaching out across the remote mountain province.

And he doesn't shy away from controversy. Today's topic: the need for women's equality.

"With this," the 24-year-old station manager said, motioning to the microphone, "I can educate my people. I can provide a voice to them."


Broadcasting into areas so isolated -- many residents may only travel as far as the neighboring village in their lifetimes -- Kalagush Radio is "a live existence of the [outside] world," Hamdard said.

For 12 hours a day, the Nuristani radio station offers news and entertainment programs that cater to the local people.

Although the news stories are not always positive, they are honest. They offer a balanced look at issues affecting residents under the station's "don't take any sides" philosophy.

But news is only part of the station's programming. DJs offer a variety of music, history, education, religious and social commentary shows, as well. One of Kalagush Radio's most popular shows is a daily music program that allows listeners to phone in with requests, Hamdard said. The show has received a huge response, he said.

"We think of the needs of the local people, and what they want," said Hamdard, remarking on the station's success.

Although ISAF funds the station, Kalagush Radio employees insist they decide what is put on the air.

"Of course it is funded by the coalition forces, but I have total control over the programs," Hamdard said. "The programs are not limited to any specific groups."

ISAF forces are working with Kalagush Radio to expand its broadcast schedule to 24 hours a day. They're also planning to hire several new journalists for the station, including an Afghan woman, offering a voice for what the station's crew calls a silent majority.

Related Story Links:

Kalagush Radio Broadcasts Freedom
http://northshorejournal.org/kalagush-radio-broadcasts-freedom

Tuning into Kala Gush Radio
http://www.1stid.org/about/pressreleases/3bct0808.pdf


Kalagush Radio DJ prepares the Nuristan province, Afghanistan, radio station for broadcast, Aug. 3. The International Security Assistance Forces funded station offers the people of the remote mountain area a variety of news and entertainment programs. Combined Joint Task Force - 82 PAO Photo by Sgt. Matthew Moeller

And this from Kim Elliott's website (http://www.kimandrewelliott.com/

New NATO funded radio station in Afghanistan is "not limited to any specific groups." "NATO’s International Security Assistance Force is giving voice to residents of this remote area through a radio station run by one of their own. When Shaib Dad Hamdard was growing up here near the Pakistan border, he dreamed of being a voice to his people. Now, with the turn of a dial and the flick of the switch, he’s on air at Kalagush Radio, reaching out across the remote mountain province. ... Although ISAF funds the station, Kalagush Radio employees insist they decide what is put on the air. 'Of course it is funded by the coalition forces, but I have total control over the programs,' Hamdard said. 'The programs are not limited to any specific groups.' ISAF forces are working with Kalagush Radio to expand its broadcast schedule to 24 hours a day. They’re also planning to hire several new journalists for the station, including an Afghan woman, offering a voice for what the station’s crew calls a silent majority." American Forces Press Service, 10 August 2009. On FM? Or on medium wave or even shortwave, more capable of "reaching out across the remote mountain province"?

Stars and Stripes focus on how US troops use radio in Afghanistan

United States troops have set up transmitters across the province in eastern Afghanistan, hired local employees for the stations and developed a process to put out information updates on incidents such as roadside bomb explosions. Major Herb Skinner, the 1-40 executive officer, said the system is key to combating Taliban misinformation that often blames coalition forces for civilian deaths caused by its own attacks.

Read on this from First With the Truth article at:
http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=62487

(R Netherlands Media Network Weblog)

U.S. troops in Afghanistan use radio to help tune out Taliban

By JIM LANDERS / The Dallas Morning News
jlanders@dallasnews.com

COMBAT OUTPOST ZORMAT, Afghanistan – In this badly understaffed post, one of the more successful battle strategies for isolating the Taliban has been what the U.S. Army calls RIAB – Radio in a Box.

Radio Zormat started as a 50-watt FM transmitter – in a box – set up in 2007 inside this base. The station reached people living within a six-mile radius of the town of Zormat.

Now it's a 250-watt transmitter that the Army hopes will reach clear across the Zormat area of operations for the 70 soldiers at this base, a high plains region between two mountain ranges.

Continue story at: Dallas Morning News
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/world/stories/DN-radio_06int.ART.State.Edition1.4c909a7.html