Taliban cuts internet in Afghanistan, grounding flights and freezing banks as UN warns of severe harm to millions. Photo: freepik
The Taliban cut off internet and telecommunications services across Afghanistan on Monday, creating near-total digital isolation and prompting a United Nations warning of “significant harm” to the population. The blackout followed the disabling of Afghanistan’s 9,350-kilometer fiber optic network, which paralyzed key sectors of daily life. Flights were grounded, banking operations were frozen, and millions of people and businesses lost access to digital communication.
At Kabul International Airport, all commercial flights were either canceled or listed as “unknown,” leaving the country’s primary air hub nearly empty, Reuters reported.
Independent watchdog NetBlocks also confirmed to Reuters that internet traffic levels had fallen to just one percent of normal, underscoring the unprecedented scope of the disruption.
According to Reuters, the Taliban leadership directed telecom operators to shut down internet and mobile data services nationwide. Reports confirmed that cellphone connectivity had collapsed.
NetBlocks reported that the shutdown was rolled out in phases beginning Monday. The final stage also disrupted telephone services, which share infrastructure with internet systems.
The nationwide blackout appears to be part of a broader campaign led by Taliban supreme leader Hibatullah Akhundzada in Kabul. In September, he had ordered the dismantling of fiber optic networks in several provinces. Officials have defended the move as necessary to curb what they called “immorality” online, echoing earlier statements from provincial governors.
Afghan telecom companies told Reuters they were complying with Taliban directives while “managing this sensitive and complex situation.” Operators expressed hope that services would be restored soon.
Meanwhile, private broadcaster Tolo News reported that authorities had set a one-week deadline to shut down 3G and 4G mobile internet services, leaving only 2G networks operational.
The United Nations Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) urged the Taliban to restore connectivity immediately. In a statement, the mission warned that the blackout “has left Afghanistan almost completely cut off from the outside world, and risks inflicting significant harm on the Afghan people.”
Reuters also quoted UN officials who said the outage had severely disrupted humanitarian operations.
Arafat Jamal, the UN refugee agency’s representative in Afghanistan, explained the impact on relief efforts.“It is another crisis on top of the existing crisis.”
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Zubair Amin is a Senior Journalist at NewsX with over seven years of experience in reporting and editorial work. He has written for leading national and international publications, including Foreign Policy Magazine, Al Jazeera, The Economic Times, The Indian Express, The Wire, Article 14, Mongabay, News9, among others. His primary focus is on international affairs, with a strong interest in US politics and policy. He also writes on West Asia, Indian polity, and constitutional issues. Zubair tweets at zubaiyr.amin
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