Taliban: Shut down cell phone service at night. (UPDATED)

2muchcoffeeman · Feb 26, 2008

http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20080225-taliban-wants-cell-phone-networks-shut-down-at-night.html

The towers and offices of mobile phone operators in Afghanistan are being pressured to shut down operations at night by the Taliban. The former rulers of Afghanistan and current insurgent group held "talks" with the four major mobile companies in Afghanistan today, and gave them three days to go dark for 14 hours per day — or else.

The reason for the threat is the Taliban's belief that American soldiers and rebels within Afghanistan are using mobile phones to track down remaining Taliban members. "Since the occupying forces stationed in Afghanistan usually at night use mobile phones for espionage to track down the mujahideen, the Islamic Emirate gave a three-day ultimatum to all mobile phone firms to switch off their phones from five in the afternoon until seven in the morning," Taliban spokesperson Qari Mohammad Yousuf told Reuters, ironically via mobile phone (and presumably during daylight).
Click to expand...

Is there a legitimate reason we didn't finish these asshats off during Shrub's first term?

Ace · Feb 26, 2008

Re: Taliban: Shut down cell phone service at night. The Americans track us with it.

Uh, wouldn't it be simpler for the Taliban folks to turn their damn phones off at night?

Armchair_QB · Feb 26, 2008

Re: Taliban: Shut down cell phone service at night. The Americans track us with it.

Ace said:

Uh, wouldn't it be simpler for the Taliban folks to turn their damn phones off at night?
Click to expand...

If I read that right they want them shut down so our guys can't use their phones.

Boomer7 · Feb 26, 2008

Re: Taliban: Shut down cell phone service at night. The Americans track us with it.

2muchcoffeeman said:

http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20080225-taliban-wants-cell-phone-networks-shut-down-at-night.html

The towers and offices of mobile phone operators in Afghanistan are being pressured to shut down operations at night by the Taliban. The former rulers of Afghanistan and current insurgent group held "talks" with the four major mobile companies in Afghanistan today, and gave them three days to go dark for 14 hours per day — or else.

The reason for the threat is the Taliban's belief that American soldiers and rebels within Afghanistan are using mobile phones to track down remaining Taliban members. "Since the occupying forces stationed in Afghanistan usually at night use mobile phones for espionage to track down the mujahideen, the Islamic Emirate gave a three-day ultimatum to all mobile phone firms to switch off their phones from five in the afternoon until seven in the morning," Taliban spokesperson Qari Mohammad Yousuf told Reuters, ironically via mobile phone (and presumably during daylight).
Click to expand...

Is there a legitimate reason we didn't finish these asshats off during Shrub's first term?
Click to expand...

We didn't want the smoking gun to be in the form of a mushroom cloud.

Oh, you said "legitimate" reason. Never mind.

Ace · Feb 26, 2008

Re: Taliban: Shut down cell phone service at night. The Americans track us with it.

Armchair_QB said:

Ace said:

Uh, wouldn't it be simpler for the Taliban folks to turn their damn phones off at night?
Click to expand...

If I read that right they want them shut down so our guys can't use their phones.
Click to expand...

Oh, I assumed that they were tracking the Talibanese by triangulating their phones.

The taliban probably uses rotary dial phones.

Fenian_Bastard · Feb 26, 2008

Re: Taliban: Shut down cell phone service at night. The Americans track us with it.

Iraq.
Next question.

Armchair_QB · Feb 26, 2008

Re: Taliban: Shut down cell phone service at night. The Americans track us with it.

Ace said:

Armchair_QB said:

Ace said:

Uh, wouldn't it be simpler for the Taliban folks to turn their damn phones off at night?
Click to expand...

If I read that right they want them shut down so our guys can't use their phones.
Click to expand...

Oh, I assumed that they were tracking the Talibanese by triangulating their phones.

The taliban probably uses rotary dial phones.
Click to expand...

All they would have to do to prevent that would be take the battery out of the phone.

PeteyPirate · Dec 15, 2014

Re: Taliban: Shut down cell phone service at night. The Americans track us with it.

But I've almost got Osama!

StormSurge · Dec 15, 2014

Re: Taliban: Shut down cell phone service at night. The Americans track us with it.

2muchcoffeeman · Feb 26, 2008

Re: Taliban: Shut down cell phone service at night. The Americans track us with

Armchair_QB said:

Ace said:

Uh, wouldn't it be simpler for the Taliban folks to turn their damn phones off at night?
Click to expand...

If I read that right they want them shut down so our guys can't use their phones.
Click to expand...

Given that the Taliban is pretty much wall-to-wall Wahhabi, I think it aligns with one of the stated Wahhabi goals: Turn back the clock to the 13th century. As the story notes, most of the Afghani phone system is so fouled up that the only way to dial out of the country is with a cell phone. Shut the towers down at night and presto! The country staggers back to the Middle Ages.

Yawn · Feb 26, 2008

Re: Taliban: Shut down cell phone service at night. The Americans track us with it.

2muchcoffeeman said:

http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20080225-taliban-wants-cell-phone-networks-shut-down-at-night.html

The towers and offices of mobile phone operators in Afghanistan are being pressured to shut down operations at night by the Taliban. The former rulers of Afghanistan and current insurgent group held "talks" with the four major mobile companies in Afghanistan today, and gave them three days to go dark for 14 hours per day or else.

The reason for the threat is the Taliban's belief that American soldiers and rebels within Afghanistan are using mobile phones to track down remaining Taliban members. "Since the occupying forces stationed in Afghanistan usually at night use mobile phones for espionage to track down the mujahideen, the Islamic Emirate gave a three-day ultimatum to all mobile phone firms to switch off their phones from five in the afternoon until seven in the morning," Taliban spokesperson Qari Mohammad Yousuf told Reuters, ironically via mobile phone (and presumably during daylight).
Click to expand...

Is there a legitimate reason we didn't finish these asshats off during Shrub's first term?
Click to expand...

Because the drug cartel paid its way into a truce, considering the Afghans produce more of this than dates?

2muchcoffeeman · Feb 26, 2008

Re: Taliban: Shut down cell phone service at night. The Americans track us with

No, child. Fenian has it correct, although Boomer's insight is very interesting.

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Taliban: Shut down cell phone service at night. (UPDATED)

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Taliban: Shut down cell phone service at night. (UPDATED)

2muchcoffeeman Well-Known Member

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