Ghazni, Oct 22 : The Taliban in Afghanistan have reportedly directed the five mobile phone operators to shut their networks during the day time, as, they, say the mobile signals help the Afghan security agencies in tracking their fighters.

“We have informed mobile companies operating in Ghazni to turn off their signals during the daytime now as it endangers the lives of our fighters. We want the companies to cut off their signal for 10 days from now. The order might be extended,” the Dawn quoted Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid as saying.

The Taliban insurgents said that they had told the mobile phone operators to shut down their networks during the day in the Ghazni province, southwest of Kabul.

Earlier this year, the Taliban had ordered phone operators to turn off their networks throughout the country at night.

According to the paper, five mobile operators, three of them foreign companies, with an estimated investment of several hundred million of dollars, have set up business in Afghanistan since US-led and Afghan forces toppled the Taliban in 2001.

In the past, Taliban insurgents have even destroyed several mobile phone towers in the south causing resentment among residents for whom mobile phones are a vital means of communication. (ANI)