Afghan cell phone companies on Monday have been posed an ultimatum by Taliban insurgents to shut down mobile phone operators at night in three days or face an attack, reports Reuters. 

Taliban officials claim that the U.S. and other nations use mobile phones to track key Taliban rebel forces.  Four major mobile phone operators have been targeted with the ultimatum.

Taliban spokesman, Qari Mohammad Yousuf, held recent talks with the four companies, proposing the ultimatum.  The deal included that the operators had to shut down their towers at night for 14 hours and had only three days to comply, or they would see an attack on their towers.

"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," Yousuf said in an interview with Reuters by mobile phone.

The four cell phone companies include: Afghan Wireless Communication Company; Roshan, which is owned by Aga Khan Fund for Economic Development, the Monaco Telecom International, and TeliaSonera; Areeba, which is owned by Investcom Holding; and Etisalat, which is a Dubai-based company.

Mobile phones are the widest known means of communication in Afghanistan amongst warring Taliban and opposition forces. Afghanistan's phone network has been tapped before by American forces to track movements of leaders.

In 2006, the FBI activated a cell phone headset remotely to tap the conversation of alleged Cosa Nostra members. The Taliban threat may be in retaliation of similar tapping operations in Afghanistan.

This is not the Taliban’s first attempt to threaten cell phone operators in Afghanistan.  The rebel group has accused companies of collaborating with NATO and U.S.–led troops in the past, though the accusations were never acted on.