Internet services have been restored across Afghanistan as of Wednesday, ending a two-day nationwide blackout that had crippled the economy and halted air travel. The Taliban government has offered no explanation for either the sudden outage or the equally abrupt resumption of services.
This widespread internet and cellphone service disruption plunged millions of Afghans into a state of heightened anxiety and isolation, compounding the already severe restrictions on individual freedoms imposed by the Taliban regime.
The silence from Taliban officials, coupled with the government’s assertion that it couldn’t clarify the reasons behind the shutdown or its reversal, only fueled public confusion and frustration.
Aqa Gul Panjshiri, a trader dealing in food, care products, and cigarettes, voiced his concern before services returned: “I want the government to make it clear: Why is the internet cut off? And how long will it last?”
Attempts to get comments from Zabihullah Mujahid, the Taliban’s spokesman, and his deputy, Hamdullah Fitrat, went unanswered. Similarly, Inayatullah Alokozay, spokesman for the Afghan Ministry of Telecommunications, stated on Wednesday evening, “I still don’t have the reason for the internet cutoff.”
While the official reason remains elusive, an international diplomatic assessment, corroborated by three former and current foreign officials in the region, indicated the blackout stemmed from a new directive issued by Afghanistan’s leader, Sheikh Haibatullah Akhundzada.
This shutdown followed closely on the heels of a previous internet crackdown initiated by Mr. Akhundzada just weeks prior, which had affected nearly half of the country’s 34 provinces in mid-September.
Unlike previous limited restrictions where mobile internet still functioned, all telecommunication services abruptly ceased shortly after 5 p.m. on Monday. An Afghan telecommunications engineer, who spoke anonymously due to fear of reprisal, suggested this indicated a deliberate, coordinated effort to disconnect the entire nation.
Kabul, a bustling city of six million, fell into an unsettling quiet for two full days. Flights were largely canceled, banks remained closed, preventing people from accessing their paychecks or vital remittances from abroad – a critical lifeline for the struggling Afghan economy.
The blackout also severed hundreds of thousands of girls from their online education, a necessity since the Taliban’s ban on schooling for girls beyond the sixth grade. Residents and foreign diplomats agreed that the scale of this countrywide shutdown was unprecedented compared to any previous Taliban restrictions.
Historically, the Taliban had imposed minor, localized outages, such as in Kabul to quell early protests against their rule. They had also blocked specific platforms like TikTok and prevented content creators from using YouTube. However, today’s Afghanistan is a different landscape. Smartphone adoption has surged with 4G network expansion, and countless Afghans rely daily on social media, mobile banking, and various online services.
The abrupt disconnection shocked Afghans both within the country and overseas, as well as business owners striving to sustain Afghanistan’s fragile economy.
Mr. Panjshiri, the trader, shared his ordeal, unable to track a $150,000 cargo container or collect payments from clients needed to pay his 15 employees. “After the takeover, I trusted the government and didn’t withdraw my investment,” he explained, “but now everything is confusing, and I can’t make any decisions.”
International officials and diplomats stationed in the region condemned the internet shutdown as reckless. Humanitarian organizations reported significant disruptions to their operations, hindering crucial efforts, including earthquake relief that followed last month’s disaster which killed over 2,200 people. It also complicated support for the more than 2.7 million Afghans who have returned to Afghanistan from Iran and Pakistan this year.
A senior humanitarian officer from an international organization highlighted the inability to track and ensure the safety of field workers during the outage, noting that half of Afghanistan’s 43 million people depend on humanitarian aid, according to the United Nations.
For some, the internet black-out created dire, life-threatening situations.
Jawad Mohammadi, a 37-year-old from Mazar-i-Sharif, traveled to Kabul with his brother, who urgently needed surgery for severe kidney stones. Mr. Mohammadi struggled to raise funds from relatives, as the hospital demanded upfront payment.
“The hospital refuses to proceed with the operation unless we pay in advance,” he recounted while the internet was still down.
Just as abruptly as it began, service was restored nationwide, without any prior warning. As night fell over Kabul, the city streets filled with the sounds of ringing phones and notification alerts as residents eagerly reconnected with loved ones. Even Taliban government employees were seen outside their offices, casually catching up on lost time on WhatsApp, a popular communication platform among their members.
Mr. Mohammadi, relieved, confirmed he had finally reached his family. “They will send the money tomorrow,” he said.