Armed insurgents set a telecommunication tower alight on Monday night in Nangarhar province, local officials said Wednesday.

Provincial governor’s spokesman Attullah Khogyani, confirmed the incident and said it was an MTN tower in Bati Kot district.

The insurgents fled the area. No causalities were reported in the incident.

No group has claimed responsibility yet for the incident.

Earlier this year, officials from the Afghanistan Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (ATRA), said hundreds of towers around the country are under threat on account of a strategy being employed by the Taliban and other militant groups involving the extortion of money from private telecom companies operating in Afghanistan.

Telecommunication services have expanded significantly over the past few years in Afghanistan and the growth has benefited local communities, businesses and the government. Access to new methods of communication and sources of information has helped connect isolated groups across the country, spur economic growth and social development.

However, for all those reasons, and the fact that the businesses behind the spread of telecommunication technology around the country are so profitable, militant groups have looked to impede the development process and exploit companies for their own gain. Through threats of violence and forced system failures, armed anti-government groups give telecommunications companies the choice between paying money or having their towers targeted by attacks.