South Africa’s MTN faces new allegations in U.S. complaint

JOHANNESBURG: South African telecoms firm MTN faces new allegations of aiding militant groups in Afghanistan, including paying protection money, in an amended lawsuit filed on behalf of hundreds of families of U.S. soldiers.

The original lawsuit was aimed at least eight multinational companies — including MTN, security firm G4S, U.S. infrastructure group Louis Berger and consultancy Janus Global — that operated in Afghanistan and Iran between 2009 and 2017.

The suit, filed in December 2019 in the United States District Court in the District of Columbia, alleges the companies violated the U.S. Anti-Terrorism Act by paying protection money to al-Qaeda and the Taliban.