Taliban threat to mobile operators in Afghanistan

Taliban officials have given four mobile operator in Afghanistan an ultimatum to close the night of his length of service or be attacked.

Afghanistan cellular phone companies have been on Monday an ultimatum posed by Taliban insurgents to switch off mobile operators in the evening within three days or face an attack, Reuters reported.

Taliban claim that the USA And other nations use mobile phones to track key Taliban rebel forces. The four major mobile telephone operators have been targeted with the ultimatum.

Taliban spokesman, Qari Mohammad Yousuf, who recently held talks with the four companies, it is proposed to the ultimatum. The agreement included that operators had to shut down their towers at night for 14 hours and had only three days to comply, otherwise they could see an attack on its towers.

“Since the occupation forces stationed in Afghanistan on the night usually the use of mobile phones for espionage in locating the mujahideen, the Islamic Emirate gave an ultimatum of three days for all mobile phone companies to turn off their phones five in the afternoon until seven in the morning, “Yousuf said in an interview with Reuters by mobile phone.

The four cell phone companies are: Afghanistan Wireless Communication Company; Roshan, which is owned by the Aga Khan Fund for Economic Development, Monaco Telecom International and TeliaSonera; Areeba, which is owned by Investcom Holding, and Etisalat, which is a Dubai - Based company.

Mobile phones are the widest known means of communication between the belligerents in Afghanistan, the Taliban and opposition forces. Afghanistan telephone network has been used by American forces prior to track the movements of the leaders.

In 2006, the FBI a cell phone activated remote handset to tap the conversations of suspected members of Cosa Nostra. The Taliban threat may be in retaliation for similar harvesting operations in Afghanistan.

This is not the first attempt Taliban threaten cellular operators in Afghanistan. The rebel group has accused the companies to cooperate with NATO and USled troops in the past, although the allegations were never acted on.