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Afghan militants torch telecom tower
A telecommunications tower was set ablaze in western Afghanistan, a police official said Wednesday, the latest such attack since insurgents warned phone companies to shut down the towers at night. Five militants set fire to the generator, fuel tank and antenna of the tower Tuesday night in the Obe district of Herat province, said Raouf Ahmadi, a regional police spokesman. The tower belonged to the Areeba company. The Taliban believe US and other foreign troops are using mobile phone signals to track insurgents and launch attacks against them. A Taliban spokesman issued a threat last month saying militants would blow up towers across Afghanistan if telecom companies did not switch off their signals at night. At least two other Areeba towers have been hit, as well as three more owned by the Roshan company. Most attacks have been in the insurgency-plagued southern provinces, though one of the Roshan towers was hit last week by a rocket-propelled grenade in northern Jawzjan province, said Gen Khalil Aminzada, the provincial police chief. It was not clear if the arsonists in the Herat attack were linked to Taliban fighters. Communications experts say the US military can use satellites and other means to pick up mobile phone signals. The Taliban rely on mobile phones to communicate and coordinate their operations. Posted by: Fred 2008-03-13 |
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