On Wednesday, Afghanistan’s Taliban government publicly refuted accusations of a nationwide internet ban, stating that current service disruptions are merely a result of replacing aging fiber optic infrastructure.
This statement marks the first official response from the Taliban regarding the extensive communications blackout, which has severely impacted essential sectors such as banking, commerce, and aviation.
Interestingly, just last month, multiple provinces had confirmed internet shutdowns, attributing them to a decree issued by Taliban leader Hibatullah Akhundzada, reportedly aimed at combating immorality.
Taliban officials conveyed in a brief statement, shared within a WhatsApp group for Pakistani journalists, that ‘There is nothing like the rumors being spread that we have imposed a ban on the internet.’
The same statement, also disseminated on social media platform X, quoted Taliban chief spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid as asserting that the ongoing national disruptions are a consequence of ‘decaying fiber optic infrastructure’ that is currently undergoing replacement. However, the statement provided no timeline for when these vital services might be fully restored.
For individuals like Maruf Nabizada, the internet serves as a crucial lifeline to their homeland. Having moved to the Netherlands with his family in 2022, he and his wife rely on messaging apps to maintain contact with relatives still in Afghanistan.
For three agonizing days, they have attempted hourly calls, only to find their loved ones in the western Herat province completely unreachable.
“When you can’t hear from your loved ones, you constantly worry about their safety and well-being,” Nabizada shared with The Associated Press. He recounted how his wife wept the previous night, unable to connect with her mother and sister, highlighting their profound uncertainty about the situation on the ground. Nabizada expressed deep concern that this outage could stretch on for weeks or even months.
He emphasized the difficulty: ‘We can’t return, but the internet was our only comfort, allowing us to speak with our families via voice or video calls. Now, even that vital connection is severed.’
The internet monitoring group Netblocks initially reported the outage on Monday, indicating a widespread collapse of internet connectivity across Afghanistan, including the capital city Kabul. Telephone services were also reportedly affected.
Afghan airline Kam Air informed local television channel TOLO News that it anticipated resuming flights to Kabul later on Wednesday, having completely suspended operations since Monday due to the communication breakdown.
Meanwhile, humanitarian aid officials have voiced serious concerns, warning that the blackout presents significant challenges for their organizations and urgently appealing to authorities to restore internet access.
Save the Children, in a statement released Wednesday, underscored the gravity of the situation: ‘Reliable communications are essential for our operations, for delivering life-saving assistance, and for coordinating with our partners.’