Taliban Bans Smartphone Use for Members and Government Employees

The Taliban have banned the use of smartphones for their members and government employees. The prohibition comes from a verbal order attributed to Hibatullah Akhundzada. Violators of the ban are to be treated as criminals and prosecuted in military courts.

Enforcement actions have included the collection of ninety smartphones from the Khost Agriculture Directorate in just one day. This collection was carried out as officials began implementing the new policy at local directorates.

The order has been sent to heads of military courts in eight zones. These heads are required to monitor whether members and employees are complying with the ban. Reports on the level of compliance must be provided to the leadership.

Special forms have been created for monitoring purposes. The forms include fields for the name, position, workplace, telecom network, and phone number of each person subject to the ban.

Audio messages from Taliban security officials in Helmand and Kandahar have also been used to communicate the requirements. In these messages, members are instructed to break their smartphones and to register that they have done so in compliance with the order.