The Afghan government ordered the New York Times reporter to leave within 24 hours for refusing to cite sources in his article. The decision came a day after it banned the journalist from leaving the country.

Matthew Rosenberg, 40, was initially banned from leaving the country, a TV report revealed on Tuesday.

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However, the office of the Afghan attorney general reversed the ban, and ordered Rosenberg to leave within 24 hours, and never come back.

The reason cited for this regrettable decision was Rosenberg's lack of cooperation in providing his sources.

Rosenberg wrote an article called "Amid Election Impasse, Calls in Afghanistan for an Interim Government," about senior Afghan officials planning to take over the government if the election deadlock continues.

Basir Azizi, spokesperson for the attorney general's office, said that the article suggests that the senior officials' plan is equivalent to a coup d'etat.

He said that what he wrote was "against the national security and the stability of Afghanistan."

The Afghan government officials further accused Rosenberg of writing the story in his own perspective and that he only pretended to quote his sources.

The Times' executive editor Dean Baquet contradicted the comment by saying that Rosenberg is a "terrific reporter who reported an accurate story."

Rod Nordland, Times agency chief in Kabul, said they have not been officially informed about his expulsion.

He added that Rosenberg, who has been covering the country for three years, is willing to face questioning if he has a lawyer.

The Times said the complaint against Rosenberg was the 4^th concerning an NYT reporter this year. Despite this, they will continue covering the country.

Journalists and the U.S. government have condemned Afghanistan's decision to deport Rosenberg and the lack of freedom of expression in the country.

TagsAfghanistan, Matthew Rosenberg, Basir Azizi, journalism, deportation, The New York Times, NYT