<nettime> color-coordinated airdrops

["nettime's_roving_reporter" <nettime@bbs.thing.net>]

     [maybe the pentagon should leverage its recent PR agency hire by
      signing up a color coordinator too. and all the logisticians in 
      the world won't do much good without a *logician* to put a stop
      to gaffes like 'All bombs will explode when they hit the ground, 
      but in some special circumstances some of the bombs will not ex-
      plode.' not-cheers, t]

<http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/monitoring/media_reports/newsid_1624000/1624787.stm>

     Sunday, 28 October, 2001, 22:32 GMT  
     Radio warns Afghans over food parcels
     
     The United States is seeking to avert further criticism over the
     use of cluster bombs in Afghanistan by warning the Afghan people
     not to confuse unexploded bombs with food drops. 
     
     Embarrassingly, the bombs' yellow casing means that from a
     distance they are hard to distinguish from the emergency food
     parcels wrapped in yellow plastic that US planes have been
     dropping over the last few weeks. 
     
     US psychological operations (Psy-ops) radio broadcast a message
     seeking to reassure the Afghan people that the possibility of
     confusing the two was minimal, as bombs and food parcels were not
     being dropped in the same areas and most bombs would explode on
     impact with the ground.
     
     However, it said that people should still be aware of the
     difference in appearance. 
     
     "Attention, noble Afghan people," the message - which was
     broadcast in Dari and Pashto - began.
     
     "As you know, the coalition countries have been air-dropping
     daily humanitarian rations for you," it continued.
     
     "The food ration is enclosed in yellow plastic bags. They come in
     the shape of rectangular or long squares. The food inside the
     bags is Halal and very nutritional.
     
     "In areas away from where food has been dropped, cluster bombs
     will also be dropped. The colour of these bombs is also yellow.
     
     "All bombs will explode when they hit the ground, but in some
     special circumstances some of the bombs will not explode. 
     
     "The cluster bombs are 6 cm in diameter and 16 cm in length and
     they are cylindrical in shape.
     
     "Of course in future cluster bombs will not be dropped in areas
     where food is air-dropped.
     
     "However, we do not wish to see an innocent civilian mistake the
     bombs for food bags and take it away believing that it might
     contain food."
     
     Shape matters
     
     The radio urged its listeners to exercise special caution when
     approaching yellow-coloured objects, especially in areas where
     bombs had already fallen.
     
     "We would like you to take extra care and not to touch
     yellow-coloured objects thinking that they might be food bags.
     
     "This issue is highly important, especially in areas where bombs
     have been dropped. You should not forget and take additional
     care. Do not confuse the cylinder-shaped bomb with the
     rectangular food bag," the message concluded.
     
     Earlier in the week, the Psy-Ops radio had broadcast detailed
     instructions on how to eat the items contained in the drops -
     explaining that the butter should be taken out of its packet and
     spread on bread - and Taleban radio had countered by accusing the
     US of dropping food packages "in areas full of land mines".
     
     On Saturday, the Pakistan-based Afghan Islamic Press Agency (AIP)
     reported that supporters of the deposed Afghan King, Zahir Shah,
     had been distributing leaflets in the south of Afghanistan
     calling on people to reject the Taleban and Osama Bin Laden.
     
     The leaflets also sought to reassure the Afghan people that
     America would not attack them.
     
     "The Americans have not set out to be our enemy. We assure you
     that the Americans will never carry out an attack against you,"
     they said, according to AIP.
     
     "Osama and his supporters did not come at the invitation of the
     Afghans.  Therefore Osama has never been a guest of the Afghans.
     Do not unwarrantedly bind Osama to you at the behest of others.
     
     "Separate yourselves as soon as possible from the Taleban and
     refrain honestly from supporting them," they urged.
 

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