Taliban Bans Smartphones for Its Officials

The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) reported in its quarterly statement released today that the Taliban leader issued orders around mid-June prohibiting Afghan officials, including those working in educational and health institutions, from using smartphones.

According to the report, published by the Deutsche Presse-Agentur (dpa) today, the orders stipulate that the use of smartphones is punishable by dismissal and legal action.

Some Taliban departments interpreted the orders as a ban on using smartphones in offices, while other departments interpreted them as a complete prohibition on possessing personal smartphones. The report noted that personal smartphones belonging to employees were confiscated and destroyed in some offices.

Nevertheless, spokespersons for the Taliban government continue to use social media to report on the daily activities of their departments, with no reports indicating that restrictions have been imposed on the use of computers, which remain permitted.