Taliban forces BBC services off air in Afghanistan

BBC World axed by Taliban in Afghanistan.

BBC World News is the BBC’s commercially funded international 24-hour news and information channel, broadcast in English in more than 200 countries and territories across the globe. Today, however, it has vanished from the airwaves in Afghanistan.

The Beeb note that their ‘broadcast partners’ in the country have been told to turn off the services.

Tarik Kafala, Head of Languages, BBC World Service:

“The BBC’s TV news programmes in Pashto, Persian and Uzbek have been taken off air in Afghanistan after the Taliban ordered our TV partners to remove international broadcasters from their airwaves.

“This is a worrying development at a time of uncertainty and turbulence for the people of Afghanistan. More than six million Afghans consume the BBC’s independent and impartial journalism on TV every week and it is crucial they are not denied access to it in the future. We call on the Taliban to reverse their decision and allow our TV partners to return the BBC’s news programmes to their airwaves immediately.”

BBC World News is owned and operated by BBC Global News Ltd, a member of the BBC’s commercial group of companies and is funded by subscription and advertising revenues.