KABUL, AFGHANISTAN:
Afghanistan faced a second consecutive day without internet and mobile phone service on Tuesday, after Taliban authorities executed a nationwide shutdown by cutting the country’s fibre optic network. According to internet watchdog NetBlocks, mobile phone signal and internet service nationwide gradually weakened on Monday night until connectivity dropped to less than one per cent of ordinary levels.
This is the first time since the Taliban government took control in 2021 and imposed Sharia law that communications have been completely shut down across the country.
The economic and social paralysis was immediate. “We are blind without phones and internet,” said 42-year-old shopkeeper Najibullah in Kabul. “All our business relies on mobiles… The market is totally frozen.”
Order from the Supreme Leader
The shutdown was implemented on the orders of Supreme Leader Hibatullah Akhundzada to prevent “vice.” An unnamed government official told AFP minutes before the blackout that the fibre optic network would be cut, affecting mobile phone services and that “eight to nine thousand telecommunications pillars” would be shut down “until further notice.”
The official warned of the severe impact: “There isn’t any other way or system to communicate… the banking sector, customs, everything across the country will be affected.” This move reportedly ignored prior warnings from some officials about the catastrophic economic fallout.
Severe Operational Impact
Diplomatic and aid sources confirmed the severity of the situation. A UN source stated that their “operations are severely impacted, falling back to radio communications and limited satellite links.” In countries with limited telecoms infrastructure, telephone services often rely on the same fibre optic lines as the internet, resulting in a total communications collapse.
The blackout has caused immense anxiety. A 40-year-old Afghan living in Oman told AFP via text message, “Because of the shutdown, I’m totally disconnected with my family in Kabul. I don’t know what’s happening, I’m really worried.”
The action stands in stark contrast to the previous year, when the capital had touted the 9,350-kilometre fibre optic network—largely built by former US-backed governments—as a “priority” to connect the country globally and lift it out of poverty.
