GARDEZ (SW) – The Taliban have uprooted up to 11 telecom towers in the Paktia province depriving millions of locals of mobile and internet access.
Officials at Salam Telecom that words under the Afghan Wireless in Paktia said armed Taliban have destroyed up to 11 of their sites and looted its equipment. According to the officials, the Taliban have closed up to seven other sites and have not allowed them to operate.
According to them, the looted telecommunication sites are located in Samakani, Lajhamangal, Ahmadkhel, Mirzak, Ahmadaba and Sayed Karim districts where all their equipment has been looted.
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Abdul Samad Rahmani, general manager of Afghan Telecom in the southeastern region, called on the armed Taliban to cooperate with them in maintaining telecommunications networks. Residents of Patan and Samakani districts of Paktia said the Taliban’s dominance in these districts has negatively affected people’s social life.
The armed Taliban admit that a number of Salam network sites have been destroyed in the war, but said the firms were warned for not cooperating with the insurgents.
The Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said the network was on the group’s blacklist, and if it provides services as per the Taliban rules, they will allow the network to operate.
In the 9 Taliban-controlled districts of Paktia, in addition to destroying and blocking the Salam network, other telecommunications networks are only allowed to operate during the day.
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