Iraq GSM operator seeks government protection

Iraqi mobile operator Asiacell is calling on the country’s government to provide protection for its facilities, following a number of terrorist attacks on the company.

In a statement from Dr Diar Ahmed, CEO of the company Asiacell called for a “strong and swift stance” from the government to stop attacks against the operator.

Asiacell’s customer service centre in Mosul was bombed on 29th December, and the company has also recently suffered bombings of its offices and warehouses in Baghdad, Tikrit and Mosul. Asiacell staff were killed in some of the attacks.

Dr Ahmed said: “As an Iraqi company that bears the responsibility of delivering telecom services to the Iraqi nation, it grieves us at Asiacell that such terrorist attacks are succeeding in hindering the realization of our nationalistic goals. The involved terrorist groups are clearly bent on preventing the achievement of stability and prosperity in the country, and are inflicting devastating financial, moral and physical damages.

“Our presence in Iraq today goes beyond commercial and materialistic reasons to a nobler goal, which is connecting the Iraqi people together. That is why it is imperative that we be protected on all fronts so that we can contribute to rebuilding Iraq,” he added.Asiacell is the oldest GSM provider in Iraq, beginning operations in the autonomous region of Kurdistan in 1999, and was one of three operators awarded licences in August 2007.