Taliban imposes communications blackout across Afghanistan

Afghanistan faced a second day without internet and mobile phone service on Sept 30, after the Taliban authorities cut off the fibre optic network.

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The Taliban authorities began shutting down high-speed internet connections to some provinces earlier in September to prevent “vice” on the orders of supreme leader Hibatullah Akhundzada.

On the night of Sept 29, mobile phone signal and internet service gradually weakened until connectivity was less than 1 per cent of ordinary levels, according to internet watchdog NetBlocks.

It is the first time since the Taliban government won the insurgency in 2021 and imposed a strict version of Islamic law that communications have been shut down in the country.

“We are blind without phones and internet,” said 42-year-old shopkeeper Najibullah in Kabul.

“All our business relies on mobiles. The deliveries are with mobiles. It’s like a holiday, everyone is at home. The market is totally frozen.”