The U.S. government has not released an official statement yet to explain why electronic devices larger than phones have been banned on flights from eight countries, mainly from the Middle East and North Africa. 

The Hill reported on Monday, March 20, that a Twitter post from Royal Jordanian said: "following instructions from the concerned U.S. departments, we kindly inform our dearest passengers departing to and arriving from the United States that carrying any electronic or electrical device on board the flight cabins is strictly prohibited."

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The Twitter post was later removed, but CNN reported that a State Department source said that information is being disseminated to concerned countries and airlines.

The directive only applies to laptops, tablets, electronic games, cameras, and other electronics that are larger than mobile phones. They can be stowed in the checked baggage, however.

The full list of countries that will be affected by the ban has not been revealed, but an official speaking to the Associated Press said it would apply to the following 10 airports in eight countries:

§  Ataturk Airport, Istanbul, Turkey

§  Queen Alia International, Amman, Jordan

§  King Abdulaziz International, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

§  Abu Dhabi International, United Arab Emirates

§  Mohammed V International, Casablanca, Morocco

§  King Khalid International, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

§  Cairo International Airport, Egypt

§  Hamad International, Doha, Qatar

§  Dubai International, United Arab Emirates

§  Kuwait International Airport

An official statement is yet to be released, but it could be remembered that a flight by Dubai-based carrier Daallo exploded a few minutes after taking off from the Somali Capital, Mogadishu a couple of months ago. Fortunately, the pilot managed to land, and the plane did not go off at cruising altitude.

An official investigation found that an alleged bomber that was sucked out of the plane had been carrying a laptop bomb. The alleged bomber was the only fatality.

Al-Qaeda-linked Islamic militant group al-Shabab claims that it was responsible for the bombing. The possibility of such attacks in the future is something that the American Intelligence is worried about, according to BBC.