Laerod
16-03-2008, 10:29
It seems as though the Taleban have found a new enemy:
Taleban threat hits Afghan phones (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7291833.stm)
Afghans increasingly depend on mobile phones to communicate
Afghan mobile phone companies have begun switching off their signals at night in parts of the restive south after several attacks by the Taleban.
Ten mobile phone masts were attacked in recent weeks, the latest on Tuesday night, the Afghan government says.
Last month the Taleban threatened the companies, alleging that the networks were being used by Afghan and Nato troops to target them.
Mobile phones are the only form of communication for many Afghans.
They were introduced to the country in 2001, after the fall of the Taleban.
The latest attack took place on Tuesday night, when a mobile phone tower was set on fire in the western province of Herat.
Since a threat by the Taleban last month to target the towers unless the phone companies switched off their signals at night, 10 such facilities have been attacked, six of them completely destroyed.
(cntd.)
While I find this worrisome and feel sorry for the Afghans whose only means of communication over distance is disrupted, it's apparently doing the Taleban more harm than good, as the Afghans are not happy about the interruption of their phone services and tracking the Taleban via triangulation is a bit less reliable than via satellites.
Taleban threat hits Afghan phones (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7291833.stm)
Afghans increasingly depend on mobile phones to communicate
Afghan mobile phone companies have begun switching off their signals at night in parts of the restive south after several attacks by the Taleban.
Ten mobile phone masts were attacked in recent weeks, the latest on Tuesday night, the Afghan government says.
Last month the Taleban threatened the companies, alleging that the networks were being used by Afghan and Nato troops to target them.
Mobile phones are the only form of communication for many Afghans.
They were introduced to the country in 2001, after the fall of the Taleban.
The latest attack took place on Tuesday night, when a mobile phone tower was set on fire in the western province of Herat.
Since a threat by the Taleban last month to target the towers unless the phone companies switched off their signals at night, 10 such facilities have been attacked, six of them completely destroyed.
(cntd.)
While I find this worrisome and feel sorry for the Afghans whose only means of communication over distance is disrupted, it's apparently doing the Taleban more harm than good, as the Afghans are not happy about the interruption of their phone services and tracking the Taleban via triangulation is a bit less reliable than via satellites.