Militants destroy telecom towers in restive Afghan province

PUL-E-ALAM, Afghanistan, April 23 (Xinhua) -- Militants of Taliban insurgent group have destroyed three mobile phone towers in Afghanistan's eastern province of Logar, cutting off communication in parts of the province, a local official said Monday.

Provincial government spokesman Salim Saleh told Xinhua that the militants struck three local mobile operators' telecommunication towers in Ghazni Khil locality of Mohammad Agha district Sunday night.

The attackers set ablaze and destroyed the electricity systems' masts and destroyed all facilities of the towers.

No security guards of the towers were hurt following the attacks and security personnel launched a manhunt for the attackers, who were believed to have escaped to their hideouts in nearby mountains.

The militants warned local mobile operators to shut down their operation during the night in remote districts, in an effort to prevent providing security tips by local to the security forces.

Violence has been on the rise as Afghan security forces struggle against a surge in attacks by anti-government fighters since the drawdown of foreign forces within the past three years. Enditem