People throughout Afghanistan are facing limited access to telecommunications networks after the Taliban ordered providers to restrict services over fears of foreign military infiltrating the networks and posing a security threat, a Sputnik correspondent reported from the country
KABUL (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 26th August, 2019) People throughout Afghanistan are facing limited access to telecommunications networks after the Taliban ordered providers to restrict services over fears of foreign military infiltrating the networks and posing a security threat, a Sputnik correspondent reported from the country.The Taliban have also threatened to attack the staff and offices of Afghanistan's only state-run provider, the Salaam Telecommunication Company, for noncomplying with its order to restrict services.
Afghanistan's Ministry of Communications and Information Technology told Sputnik that it did not intend to heed to the Taliban's pressure and intended to continue providing Afghans access to Salaam's telecommunication services.
"We are not ready to stop or delay the activities of the Salaam Company. We will continue our activities. We are trying to expand and accelerate the activities of this governmental company and we cannot accept the Taliban's demands in this regard or stop providing services to the people," the ministry said.
So far, residents of the Kunduz, Mazar, Takhar, Badakhshan, Helmand, Herat, Uruzgan, Nimroz and Zabul provinces are relying solely on Salaam's services, as private companies have restricted their operations in those areas, and have expressed dissatisfaction with the new restrictions.
"The Taliban have imposed restrictions that have impacted on the lives of the people, and people are cannot keep in touch with others and do not have internet services," a resident of the Kunduz province, Abdullah Sahil, told Sputnik.
However, the Taliban continue to push for the Salaam telecom company to cut services, threatening to cut its fiber-optic cables used to provide Internet and to punish anyone caught with a Salaam SIM card.
"The Salaam Telecommunication Company continues to violate the principles of the commission despite the Islamic Emirate's warnings. For the purpose, it is announced that any fiber line that is submerged underground will be cut and treated as an enemy and if anyone is arrested with a [Salaam] SIM card, the Taliban will punish them," Taliban spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, said in a statement.
According to the spokesman, the state-run telecom company operates and shares information with the Kabul administration, which in turn shares data with the US authorities, thereby compromising Afghanistan's security.
The Taliban are currently in their ninth round of peace negotiation talks with the United States in Qatar's Doha, from which the Afghan government has been excluded due to the Taliban accusing Kabul of being a US puppet.
