The Afghanistan Telecom Regulatory Authority, or ATRA, says that 220 telecom towers have been destroyed by “the Taliban and some other groups” over the past eight months, inflicting a $33 million to $50 million loss to telecommunication companies who must repair pylons.

According to ATRA, security threats have decreased telecom service by 30 percent across the country.

“These 220 telecom towers mean that people in 220 areas in the country were deprived of telecommunication services temporarily or continuously,” said Sayed Haris Mir, head of ATRA services monitoring department.

Kunduz, Farah, Ghazni, Zabul, Baghlan and Balkh are among the provinces which according to ATRA have witnessed the highest number of attacks by militants on telecom towers.

In many parts of the country, telecom services are turned off during nights due to security threats by militants.

Some MPs, meanwhile, said there is a need for addressing the problem by security agencies.

“This has created many problems for the people who all want these challenges to be addressed,” Nilofar Jalali, an MP, told TOLOnews.

“The government is responsible for preventing threats against telecom companies countrywide,” said Raihana Azad, another MP.