Afghanistan has been plunged into its third consecutive day of a nationwide internet blackout, fueling widespread fear and uncertainty among millions already feeling isolated under the four-year rule of the current government.
Since Monday evening, ordinary Afghans have found it nearly impossible to communicate with each other or with the outside world, according to various internet monitoring groups like NetBlocks. The outage has crippled essential services: banking operations have ground to a halt, flights remain grounded, and aid distribution by U.N. agencies—among the few international organizations still active in the country—has become almost impossible.
The Afghan government, led by the Taliban since 2021, has not yet commented on the situation. However, a diplomatic official, who spoke anonymously due to the sensitive nature of the restrictions, indicated that the Taliban’s supreme leader, Sheikh Haibatullah Akhundzada, reportedly ordered the blackout to prevent the spread of “vice.” Both this official and an Afghan Foreign Ministry official suggested the shutdown would continue “until further notice.”
Since regaining power after the U.S.-backed government collapsed, the Taliban administration has increasingly isolated Afghanistan. They have imposed a ban on girls’ education past the sixth grade and implemented extensive restrictions on individual freedoms and communications, citing religious grounds.
Such a prolonged, nationwide telecommunications outage is exceptionally rare, even in authoritarian states. For instance, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad imposed a near-complete national blackout at the onset of the Syrian revolution in 2012. However, most governments typically restrict internet shutdowns to specific areas and for shorter durations.
The blackout has severely impacted humanitarian efforts. Cash transfers and vital aid deliveries to vulnerable communities outside the capital, Kabul, are effectively suspended as no flights have been able to depart for two days. A source in Kabul, familiar with aid operations and speaking anonymously due to security concerns, confirmed that U.N. personnel in the capital are unable to reach colleagues in other Afghan regions, including Afghan women who are barred from entering U.N. compounds.
This crisis compounds existing humanitarian challenges. Aid workers were already stretched thin, responding to a devastating 6.0-magnitude earthquake in eastern Afghanistan in late August that claimed over 1,400 lives. They are also managing the arrival of more than a million Afghan refugees who have crossed the western border from Iran.
In response, the U.N. Assistance Mission in Afghanistan urged the Taliban on Tuesday to immediately restore internet and telecommunications services, emphasizing the country’s fragile economy and ongoing humanitarian emergencies.