Taliban’s Internet Blackout Cripples Daily Life in Afghanistan

Kokcha News Agency: Afghanistan has been plunged into a digital blackout for more than 60 hours after the Taliban shut down nationwide internet and telecommunications services. The blackout, which began at 5 p.m. local time on September 29, has disrupted everything from family communications to banking, hospital operations, and media broadcasts.

The shutdown initially targeted fiber-optic services in northern provinces in mid-September before expanding nationwide. The Taliban have not provided a clear explanation for the blackout, though they previously claimed it was aimed at preventing “immoral behavior.”

Analysts warn that the blackout is costing Afghanistan millions of dollars in economic losses and exacerbating its already dire humanitarian crisis. Human Rights Watch (HRW) condemned the move, stating that it deprives Afghans of their fundamental rights to education, healthcare, commerce, and access to information.

• Healthcare and Education: The blackout has severely impacted healthcare services and online education, particularly for women and girls who are already barred from secondary and higher education.
• Media and Communication: Media outlets have been paralyzed, with many unable to publish online. Afghan migrants abroad are unable to contact relatives inside the country.
• Banking and Remittances: The shutdown has disrupted banking services and remittances, which many Afghan families rely on for survival.
• Humanitarian Operations: Aid groups have warned that the blackout threatens life-saving operations that depend on connectivity for coordination and delivery.

The United Nations mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) has urged the Taliban to restore services immediately, warning that the outage risks “significant harm” by disrupting essential services. Amnesty International also condemned the blackout, calling it a reckless move that violates human rights and worsens the humanitarian crisis.

Afghanistan relies primarily on two systems: fiber-optic internet, which is faster, cheaper, and harder to censor, and satellite or GSM services, which are more costly and easier to block. Two weeks before the shutdown, sources confirmed that Taliban leader Hibatullah Akhundzada had ordered the halt of fiber services, beginning in Balkh province and later spreading across the country.

The blackout comes at a critical time as Afghanistan recovers from recent earthquakes in the east and faces the mass forced return of refugees from neighboring countries. Humanitarian groups warn that the shutdown could not have come at a worse time, as it adds another layer of crisis to the existing humanitarian challenges.

Activists have described the blackout as a move to push Afghanistan into “complete digital darkness,” further isolating the country from the world and tightening the Taliban’s control over information flow.