The Associated Press
05/08/2007
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KANDAHAR - The Taliban is threatening to destroy telecom towers belonging to an Afghan mobile phone company, accusing it of colluding with U.S. and Afghan authorities to help track down its fighters.

Shuhab Athul, a purported spokesman for Taliban commander Mullah Dadullah, said Roshan telecommunications company provides militants' phone numbers to the U.S. and Afghan governments.

The numbers are being blocked or used to locate Taliban fighters, Athul told The Associated Press by satellite phone on Monday from an undisclosed location.

"Americans use that information to bomb those areas and the mujahedeen who are fighting a jihad against Americans and other occupiers," Athul said.

Roshan and the U.S. Embassy in Kabul declined to comment on the allegations.

The U.S.-led coalition said there was no validity to the Taliban claim.

"We do not have a special relationship with Roshan or any other phone company. We're simply commercial users like everybody else," said Maj. Chris Belcher, a coalition spokesman.

The Taliban said they would give Roshan 20 days to change its policies.

"If they continue to block the numbers of the Taliban and provide their locations to the U.S. and Afghan governments, we will target Roshan towers all over Afghanistan," Athul said.

Giles Ebbutt, an expert on communications and intelligence gathering, said the U.S. military has the ability, using satellites and other means, to pick up cell phone signals without the phone company's help. He said the military can also intercept satellite phone calls.

Ebbutt said the Taliban would only hurt themselves by taking out phone towers.

"If they do that, they're shooting themselves in the foot because they lose their own communications capabilities without really affecting the military's communication abilities. So they're slightly over a barrel on that point," said Ebbutt, an editor for Jane's C4I Systems, a reference book on communications, intelligence and military command and control.

Roshan is one of three companies providing mobile phone services in Afghanistan, along with Afghan Wireless Communications Company and Areeba.

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