Islamic Militants Attack Mobile Phone Retailers

At least fifteen mobile phone retail stores were blown up by terrorist attacks in Pakistan on Tuesday night in a plaza in the Inayat Kallay bazaar, and a further 25 stores elsewhere were partially damaged. No loss of life was reported by the Pakistani newspaper, Dawn. Tribal administration official Mawaz Khan Afridi told the newspaper that 14 phone shops had been destroyed in the Ittehad plaza.

The shop-owners say that they have received several letters, asking them not to sell mobile phones pre-loaded with 'musical' ring tones. Many retailers had started offering phones pre-loaded with 'jihadi' ringtones, but this did not seem enough to appease the militants.

So far no group has owned the responsibility for the blasts, which all appear to have all been in North Waziristan, a tribal region of the country which borders Afghanistan and is only loosely controlled by the national government. The area is a stronghold for the Taliban and their sympathizers.

Earlier this year, militants attacked shops which were selling CDs and cassettes or playing music in public areas.

On the web: Dawn

Posted to the site on 18th October 2007