SA mobile operator MTN has suffered a legal setback in the US after a court rejected its bid to halt lawsuits alleging the company aided terror groups in Afghanistan.

A report in The Citizen notes that the ruling, handed down by the US District Court for the Eastern District of New York, means the cases will now move into the discovery phase – where both sides exchange evidence.

Judge Carol Amon has delivered a double blow to MTN, refusing to revisit earlier decisions that allowed terrorism-linked claims tied to Iraq and Afghanistan to proceed.

In a second ruling, she shut the door on MTN’s bid for an immediate appeal and declined to pause the case, finding the company had failed to show the ‘extraordinary circumstances’ needed to justify fast‑tracking the matter to a higher court.

While the rulings stop short of finding MTN liable, they clear the way for the lawsuits to advance into the discovery phase – a critical stage where both sides will be compelled to exchange evidence, setting the stage for a bruising legal battle.

‘The rulings are procedural and do not constitute a finding of wrongdoing or liability against MTN,’ the company stressed.

The lawsuits, brought under the US Anti‑Terrorism Act allege MTN made payments to the Taliban and al-Qaeda to secure its operations in Afghanistan, claims the company has consistently denied.

The Zobay v MTN Group Limited case, together with the related Long v MTN Group Limited matter, will now proceed, with MTN saying discovery will allow it to produce evidence to disprove the allegations.

Full report in The Citizen