Afghanistan is experiencing a near-complete communications blackout for a second day after Taliban authorities cut fibre-optic networks nationwide, leaving millions without internet or mobile phone services. The shutdown, described as unprecedented in scope, began on Monday night when connectivity dropped to less than 1% of normal levels, according to internet watchdog NetBlocks.
The Taliban regime, which retook control of the country in 2021, has gradually restricted internet access since early September, citing the need to “prevent immorality” on orders of supreme leader Hibatullah Akhundzada. High-speed connections in several provinces were cut in mid-September, and the latest measures have affected telephone lines as they often rely on internet routing.
“We are blind without phones and internet,” said Najibullah, a 42-year-old shopkeeper in Kabul. “All our business relies on mobiles. The market is totally frozen.” The administration has not provided an immediate explanation for the blackout, though rights groups accuse the Taliban of suppressing the population by disconnecting them from the world.
Fereshta Abbasi, a researcher at Human Rights Watch, said the shutdown deprives Afghans of livelihoods and fundamental rights to education, healthcare, and information. “The Taliban should drop its excuses about morality and instead focus on how these shutdowns are causing irreversible harm,” she said. The UN mission to Afghanistan, Unama, warned the disconnection risks inflicting significant harm, including threatening economic stability and exacerbating the humanitarian crisis.
Before the blackout, a government official told Agence France-Presse that the fibre-optic network would be cut, affecting mobile services, and that “eight to nine thousand telecommunications pillars” would be shut down until further notice. A UN source said operations have fallen back to radio communications and limited satellite links. The Taliban leader reportedly ignored warnings about economic fallout and ordered the nationwide ban to proceed.
