Telecoms

Taleban Insurgents Threatening to Destroy Mobile Networks

They say the mobile companies cooperate with the US and NATO military forces

By Florin Troaca, Communications News Editor

25th of February 2008, 15:21 GMT

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The Taleban (also known as Taliban), the nationalist Afghanistan movement, threatened today to attack mobile networks and mobile companies offices across the country, unless the carriers

agree to switch off their signals during night-time.

Taleban militants say that foreign troops, including the US one, are using mobile signals to track them down and launch attacks, therefore they want the four mobile phone companies that operate in Afghanistan to interrupt their operations between 5 PM and 3 AM, local time. ''If those companies do not stop their signal within three days, the Taleban will target their towers and their offices," said Zabiullah Mujaheed, Taleban spokesman.

The Talebans are currently engaged in an extended guerrilla war against the new Afghan government and the NATO forces. It is not the first time that Taleban insurgents threat mobile companies, as they have done it in the past several times, under the same accusation that they cooperate with NATO and US forces. However, the US and NATO forces apparently use satellites to detect mobile signals, hence having no need to be helped by the Afghan mobile companies.

Situated in Middle East / Central Asia, Afghanistan is a landlocked, mountainous country that has almost 32 million people. Mobile phones became popular in the country only after the Taleban government was overthrown in 2001 by a military alliance between the United Islamic Front for the Salvation of Afghanistan, United States, United Kingdom, Canada and Australia. Currently there are almost 4 million mobile subscribers in Afghanistan, and the major mobile carriers are Roshan, Afghan Wireless, Etisalat (based in the United Arab Emirates) and Areeba.

Hopefully, the Taleban threats to blow up the mobile companies' towers and offices will prove to be only threats, without leading to violent actions. Violence is not the answer, no matter what problems may appear.

TAGS:

Taleban | threat | attack | Mobile Network | Afghanistan

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