Internet access has been restored across many parts of Afghanistan, ending a two-day nationwide blackout that had brought the economy to a standstill, grounded flights, and fueled widespread speculation about its cause. The sudden return to online connectivity, which occurred on Wednesday, offered a glimmer of relief after a period of intense uncertainty.
This digital shutdown, combined with a concurrent suspension of cellphone services, exacerbated an already palpable sense of anxiety and isolation for millions of Afghans. Many were already grappling with severe restrictions on personal freedoms under the Taliban government’s rule, making the communication cut-off even more impactful.
Adding to the distress, Taliban officials remained conspicuously silent throughout the blackout, offering no public explanation for either the shutdown or its abrupt end. This lack of transparency only intensified confusion and sparked public outrage among a populace already wary of government control.
“I want the government to be clear: why is the internet being cut off? And how long will it last?” voiced Aqa Gul Panjshiri, an importer of essential goods like food, care products, and cigarettes, before services were restored. His frustration echoed that of many citizens.
Despite numerous attempts to reach them, both Zabihullah Mujahid, the Taliban’s primary spokesman, and his deputy, Hamdullah Fitrat, offered no response to inquiries regarding the situation.
Even the spokesman for the Afghan Ministry of Telecommunications, Inayatullah Alokozay, admitted late Wednesday evening, “I still don’t have the reason for the internet cutoff.”
While the precise motivation for the blackout remained elusive, its source was confirmed by an international diplomatic assessment, verified by The New York Times, as well as by three foreign officials, both current and former, stationed in the region. They unanimously pointed to a direct order from Afghanistan’s supreme leader, Sheikh Haibatullah Akhundzada, as the cause.
This incident followed closely on the heels of a previous directive from Mr. Akhundzada, issued just weeks prior, which initiated a limited internet crackdown impacting nearly half of the country’s 34 provinces in mid-September.
Unlike previous restrictions where mobile internet often remained operational, all telecommunication services abruptly ceased shortly after 5 p.m. on Monday. This comprehensive disruption strongly indicated a deliberate, coordinated effort to disconnect the entire nation, according to an Afghan telecommunications engineer who previously worked on national infrastructure projects. The engineer requested anonymity due to fears of reprisal.
For two days, Kabul, a bustling city of six million, fell into an unsettling silence. Flights were largely canceled, and banks remained shut, preventing citizens from accessing their salaries or receiving vital remittances from overseas relatives, which are crucial to Afghanistan’s struggling economy.
Compounding the hardship, hundreds of thousands of girls, whose only access to education comes through online learning due to the Taliban’s ban on schooling beyond sixth grade, found themselves completely disconnected from their studies and the wider world.
Both residents and foreign diplomats agreed: despite numerous restrictions imposed by the Taliban in recent years, none had ever reached the sweeping scale of this nationwide communication blackout.
Historically, the Taliban had confined such measures to short, localized shutdowns, including in Kabul shortly after their ascent to power, primarily to quell protests. They had also previously blocked certain platforms like TikTok and restricted content creators on YouTube.
This intense control over information harks back to the Taliban’s initial period of rule from 1996 to 2001, when internet use was entirely prohibited. However, contemporary Afghanistan is a vastly different landscape. The proliferation of smartphones and 4G networks has integrated countless Afghans into the digital world, relying daily on social media, mobile banking, and other online services.
The sudden shutdown sent shockwaves through Afghan communities both domestically and internationally, severely impacting business owners who are tirelessly working to sustain the country’s fragile economy.
Mr. Panjshiri, for example, recounted being unable to track a cargo container valued at $150,000 or to collect payments from clients, which he needed to disburse salaries to his 15 employees.
He expressed his growing apprehension: “After the takeover, I trusted the government and I didn’t take my investment out of the country,” he said. “But now everything is confusing, and I can’t make a decision.”
Senior foreign officials and diplomats in the region condemned the internet shutdown as a reckless act. Humanitarian aid efforts were severely impeded, hindering responses to last month’s devastating earthquake that claimed over 2,200 lives, and complicating assistance for the more than 2.7 million Afghans who have returned from Iran and Pakistan this year.
An official from an international humanitarian organization highlighted the critical safety risks, stating that the outage made it impossible to monitor field workers. With half of Afghanistan’s 43 million population in need of humanitarian aid, according to the United Nations, such disruptions are catastrophic.
For some, the internet blackout escalated into life-threatening emergencies.
Jawad Mohammadi, a 37-year-old from Mazar-i-Sharif in northern Afghanistan, had brought his brother to Kabul for urgent hospitalization due to severe kidney stones. Despite doctors recommending immediate surgery, Mohammadi faced immense difficulty securing funds from relatives to cover the costs.
“The hospital refuses to proceed with the operation unless we pay in advance,” he lamented while the country remained offline.
Just as abruptly as it began, internet service was restored nationwide, again without any official government announcement.
As night fell in Kabul, the familiar sounds of ringing phones and notification alerts once again filled the streets. Residents eagerly reconnected with loved ones, while even Taliban government workers were observed outside their offices, casually catching up on missed messages via WhatsApp, their preferred communication platform.
A relieved Mr. Mohammadi confirmed he had finally reached his family. “They will send the money tomorrow,” he shared, a vital step towards his brother’s much-needed surgery.
Reporting by Elian Peltier from Islamabad, Pakistan, and Safiullah Padshah from Kabul, Afghanistan. Zia ur-Rehman and Francesca Regalado also contributed to this report.