Overview
The U.S. Department of State has added a previously classified cable to the public record, documenting “close encounters” with unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP) in Afghanistan on February 4, 1981. The memo, catalogued as ISLAMA 01515, is now accessible through the National Archives’ online portal (NAID 608863156). Its release is part of a broader, multiyear effort by the State Department and the National Archives to increase transparency around historical UAP sightings reported by U.S. officials and diplomatic personnel.
Background
The document belongs to Record Group 615, the Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena Records Collection, a repository created in 2023 to centralize declassified State Department material on unexplained aerial observations. The collection spans 2023‑2026 and includes dozens of cables, memoranda, and field reports from various global hotspots during the Cold War. The Afghanistan entry is one of the earliest dated reports in the series, predating the more widely known 1980s sightings over the United States and Europe.
Key Details of the 1981 Encounter
According to the PDF file titled 059UAP00004_81_ISLAMABAD_1515.eml.pdf (459 KB), the cable was transmitted from the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad to the State Department’s headquarters. It describes a visual and radar contact observed by a U.S. military liaison team operating near the Afghan‑Pakistani border. Witnesses reported a luminous, disc‑shaped object executing rapid accelerations and abrupt directional changes that exceeded the performance envelope of known aircraft at the time. The report notes that the phenomenon persisted for approximately seven minutes before disappearing from both visual sighting and radar return. No hostile intent was inferred, and the incident was logged as “UAP—further analysis required.”
Significance and Context
The release arrives amid renewed congressional interest in UAPs, highlighted by the 2022 establishment of the All‑Domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) and the 2023 Intelligence Authorization Act mandating systematic reporting of aerial anomalies. State Department spokesperson Lisa M. Hartley told reporters, “These records help us build a more complete historical picture of unexplained aerial events, which is essential for both scientific inquiry and national security.” Analysts note that the Afghanistan report adds geographic diversity to the archive, which has previously been dominated by sightings over North America and Europe. It also underscores that UAP observations were being documented by diplomatic and military channels during a period of intense geopolitical tension in the region.
Next Steps
Researchers, historians, and the public can now download the full PDF from the National Archives website. The archive’s “unrestricted” access designation encourages independent analysis, and the State Department has pledged to continue releasing additional files from the RG 615 series as they complete the declassification review. Meanwhile, the AARO has indicated that historical cases like the 1981 Afghanistan encounter will be cross‑referenced with contemporary sensor data to assess any patterns of behavior. As more documents emerge, policymakers are expected to evaluate whether past UAP sightings warrant changes to current aviation safety protocols or intelligence‑gathering practices.
