KABUL, Afghanistan – For a second consecutive day, Afghanistan is grappling with a near-total digital blackout after the Taliban regime severed the country’s fiber optic network, effectively isolating its population from each other and the world. The move, ordered by reclusive supreme leader Hibatullah Akhundzada to prevent what he terms “vice,” has triggered widespread condemnation and raised fears of a deepening humanitarian and economic crisis.
The shutdown, which began on Monday, September 29, has reduced the nation’s connectivity to less than one percent of ordinary levels, according to the internet monitoring group NetBlocks. This marks the most severe communication crackdown since the Taliban seized power in 2021, surpassing previous regional or service-specific restrictions.
A Deepening Information Black Hole
The blackout was not entirely unforeseen. Earlier in September, Taliban authorities began systematically shutting down high-speed internet connections to several provinces. Just minutes before the nationwide disconnection, an anonymous government official warned Agence France-Presse (AFP) that “eight to nine thousand telecommunications pillars” would be deactivated “until further notice.”
The immediate impact has been paralyzing. Ordinary Afghans are unable to call family members or access vital information. Online businesses have ground to a halt, and the country’s banking system has frozen, preventing transactions and halting salaries. Crucially, the Afghan diaspora abroad, a lifeline for many families, can no longer send remittances, which constitute a critical source of income in the crisis-stricken nation.
“We are blind without phones and internet,” said Najibullah, a 42-year-old shopkeeper in Kabul. “All our business relies on mobiles for orders and deliveries. It’s like a holiday, but a disastrous one—everyone is at home, and the market is totally frozen.”
International Condemnation and Human Rights Warnings
The United Nations has issued a stern rebuke, calling for the immediate restoration of services. In a statement, the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) warned that the blackout “risks inflicting significant harm on the Afghan people, including by threatening economic stability and exacerbating one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises.”
The UN human rights office went further, labeling the shutdown an “extremely serious human rights violation.” It highlighted the disproportionate impact on women and girls, who are already largely excluded from public life and education, and for whom digital access was one of the few remaining windows to the outside world.
Economic Fallout and Internal Warnings
The decision appears to have been made unilaterally by Akhundzada, who reportedly overruled internal warnings about the catastrophic economic consequences. The official who spoke to AFP acknowledged the sweeping damage, stating, “There isn’t any other way or system to communicate… the banking sector, customs, everything across the country will be affected.”
The move represents a stark reversal of the government’s own stated goals. As recently as 2024, the Taliban’s Ministry of Communications had touted the 9,350-kilometer fiber optic network—largely built by the former US-backed government—as a “priority” for connecting Afghanistan to the global community and lifting it out of poverty.
Rationale and Reliance on Archaic Systems
The Taliban’s justification for the blackout rests on a rigid interpretation of Islamic law. On September 16, Balkh provincial spokesman Attaullah Zaid stated the ban was ordered “to prevent vice,” adding that “recent studies in Afghanistan found that internet applications have badly affected the ongoing, economic, cultural and religious foundations of society.” He promised “alternative options” would be provided, though none have materialized.
With modern communications severed, organizations like the UN have been forced to fall back on radio communications and limited, expensive satellite links. AFP journalists witnessed Taliban security forces similarly using handheld radios to coordinate at public buildings like airports and post offices, underscoring a return to older, less efficient technologies.
As the blackout persists with no end in sight, Afghanistan finds itself plunged into an unprecedented state of digital isolation. The international community watches with growing alarm, fearing that this information blackout will not only shield the regime’s actions from scrutiny but also accelerate the country’s economic and social collapse.
Source: Adapted and expanded from original reporting by Agence France-Presse (AFP) and Le Monde.
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