Taliban Threatens Afghan Cellphone Companies

TALIBAN THREATENS AFGHAN CELLPHONE COMPANIES
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Taimoor Shah]
The Taliban have demanded that all four cellphone companies in Afghanistan cease operating at night or face attacks on their offices and communication towers, according to a statement released to journalists on Monday. The statement, issued by a Taliban spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, complained that NATO and American forces in Afghanistan, which it called “occupying forces,” were tracking the whereabouts of militants through their mobile phones and conducting espionage through cellphones. “It has caused heavy casualties to Taliban and sometimes to civilians,” the statement said. United States counterterrorism forces have tracked insurgents and Taliban commanders in Afghanistan using satellite and cellphone signals, and have conducted airstrikes and raids based on such information. The Taliban have also often accused villagers of alerting counterterrorism forces of their movements.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/26/world/asia/26afghan.html?ref=todayspaper
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