A local radio station in eastern Afghanistan was shut down after repeated threats from the area’s Taliban commander, said its director on Tuesday.

Ramez Azimi, director of the Samaa station in the city of Ghazni, the capital of eastern Ghazni province, said he received phone calls as well as written warning notes purportedly from the Taliban commander.

Zabihullah Mujahid, a Taliban spokesperson, denied the insurgents had threatened Samaa.

Azimi told The Associated Press on Tuesday that the station was closed four days ago. It was its third closure in the past four years.

Azimi said the Taliban, who control several districts in Ghazni province, threatened them because three of the station’s 16 employees are women.

According to Reuters, the private radio station has been broadcasting political, religious, social and entertainment programs in the central province of Ghazni since 2013.