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Mobile services shut down in Afghanistan

Afghan mobile phone companies have given in to Taliban demands andbegun to switch off the signal at night after militants blew up anumber of mobile phone masts.

The BBC reportsthat up to 10 mobile masts have been targeted in recent weeks, with thelatest attack occurring on Tuesday night. Of these, six have been putcompletely out of action.

Late in February a Taliban spokesmanwarned that the group would target the masts unless the phone companiesswitched them off at night.

The Taliban believes that the US andits allies have been using mobile phone signals to track its movementsand launch attacks. It has accused the phone companies of collusion inthis process.

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Afghanistan'sMinistry of Communication and Technology condemned the attacks and saidall warring parties should respect the mobile network. For manyAfghans, the mobile phone network remains the only form of contact asthere is virtually no landline infrastructure.

The four mobilephone operators - all private companies - are alreadycoming under pressure from officials not to bow to Taliban demands. Todate, all four companies have declined to comment.

Abdul Hadi, aspokesman for the Telecommunications Ministry, told the BBC that theAfghan government was disappointed in the move. "We are concernedbecause the mobile phone companies had promised us that they would notbow before the Taleban demand," he told the BBC.