Afghanistan has been plunged into a nationwide communications blackout after the Taliban ordered a shutdown of all telecommunications, just weeks after cutting off fibre-optic internet links.
Internet watchdog Netblocks confirmed the country is experiencing a “total internet blackout,” with mobile data, satellite TV, and other services also severely affected. Major international media outlets say they have lost contact with their Kabul offices.
Although the Taliban have not issued an official explanation, a government official stated that the suspension of telecom services would continue “until further notice.”
Since taking power in 2021, the Taliban have repeatedly enforced restrictions aligned with their interpretation of Islamic Sharia law.
The blackout has also affected transportation. Local reports indicate that flights in and out of Kabul International Airport have been disrupted, with flight-tracking site Flightradar24 showing at least eight cancellations on Tuesday alone.
Residents in the capital reported their fibre-optic internet cut off around 17:00 local time (12:30 GMT) on Monday, suggesting many businesses and banks will only feel the full impact when services attempt to resume on Tuesday.
Fibre-optic technology, which carries data at high speeds, forms the backbone of internet infrastructure worldwide. In a post on Mastodon, Netblocks wrote, “Afghanistan is now in the midst of a total internet blackout as Taliban authorities move to implement morality measures, with multiple networks disconnected through the morning in a stepwise manner; telephone services are currently also impacted.”
For several weeks, Afghans in different provinces had been voicing frustrations over either slow connectivity or complete outages.
Taliban officials had previously claimed an alternative internet route would be introduced but failed to provide details. Business leaders have already warned that prolonged disruption could cripple commercial activity.
The shutdown has left many Afghans feeling isolated. Hamid Haidari, former editor-in-chief of 1TV, remarked that “loneliness enveloped the entire country.”
“Afghanistan has now officially taken first place in the competition with North Korea for [internet] disconnection,” he added on X.
“The silence online without Afghan voices from inside Afghanistan is deafening,” wrote former Afghan MP Mariam Solaimankhil from the US in a post tagging Elon Musk.
The blackout comes on the heels of other sweeping restrictions. Earlier this month, the Taliban ordered the removal of books authored by women from university curricula and banned courses covering human rights and sexual harassment.
Women and girls have been especially impacted under Taliban rule, with education barred beyond the age of 12. One of their few remaining study options, midwifery, was also eliminated in late 2024.
The Taliban regained control of Afghanistan in 2021 following a rapid advance across the country, shortly after US and allied troops withdrew.
