The Taliban are a quirky bunch.

The Afghanistan-based insurgents have ordered the region's four mobile phone companies to shut down operations at night within three days or risk attacks to their infrastructure.

The Taliban is under the impression that "the occupying forces stationed in Afghanistan usually at night use mobile phones for espionage to track down the mujahideen," a Taliban spokesman told Reuters - ironically via cell phone.

The four companies targeted by the Taliban include: privately-owned Afghan Wireless Communication Company; Roshan, owned by an international consortium formed by the Aga Khan Fund for Economic Development, the Monaco Telecom International and TeliaSonera; Areeba, owned by Investcom Holding; and Dubai-based Etisalat.

It doesn't appear that the Taliban has thought this plan through very well. First of all, the Reuters article mentions just how much the group relies on cell phone communications for survival, so how would attacking cell phone towers be a good move?

Also, if they're concerned about having their signals tracked at night, why don't they just turn off their phones? Though it is apparently possible for intelligence officials to access cell phones that have been powered off, you can reportedly get around this by taking the battery out of the phone.

Logic, however, does not seem to be a Taliban strong point.