‘Take back your freedom from these dogs’: US military apologises for circulating ‘offensive’ leaflet in Afghanistan
Material included Koranic verse superimposed on dog’s body, even though dogs are seen as unclean creatures by some Muslims
US forces apologised on Wednesday for dropping leaflets in northern Afghanistan depicting a dog with a Koranic verse written across its body – an image highly offensive to Muslims.
A photo of the alleged leaflet circulating on social media shows a lion chasing a white dog – the same colour as the Taliban’s flag – with the holy verse “there is no God but Allah, and Mohammad is the messenger of Allah” superimposed on its body.
Dogs are seen as unclean creatures by some Muslims and the association of Islam with a canine in deeply religious Afghanistan has angered many people.
“Take back your freedom from these dogs. Help the security forces eliminate these enemies. Take back your freedom and ensure your security,” the leaflet says.
Nato forces frequently drop leaflets over large swathes of Afghanistan in an effort to persuade locals against supporting insurgents.
Take back your freedom from these dogs. Help the security forces eliminate these enemies. Take back your freedom and ensure your security
Social media users condemned the disrespectful design on the leaflets, which were dropped in Parwan province.