Google Shuts Down Afghan Government Email Accounts

US tech giant Google has “temporarily” closed the email accounts of the Afghan government, according to Reuters.

The agency reported that representatives of the Taliban are attempting to gain access to electronic messages and digital documents, indicating that there are more than two dozen accounts, including ones affiliated with the ministries of finance, industry, higher education, and mines.

A government employee disclosed that the Taliban have already asked him to preserve the data on the servers of the ministry he worked at, saying:

 "If I do so, then they will get access to the data and official communications of the previous ministry leadership."

For its part, Alphabet Inc., Google's parent company, did not confirm the news about the closing of the Afghan governmental accounts, saying that it was "taking temporary actions to secure relevant accounts."