Taliban pulls the plug on internet and mobiles in ‘immorality crackdown’

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Afghanistan is in the grips of a nationwide internet and mobile phone blackout as the hardline Taliban cracks down on what it terms “immorality.”

The move follows a decree by Taliban leader Hibatullah Akhundzada banning fibre-optic internet service to prevent immorality. Connectivity was cut in phases, with major cities like the capital, Kabul, and Kandahar in the south suffering the sharpest drops.

Private channels have warned that authorities have set a one-week deadline for the shutdown of 3G and 4G services, leaving only the ancient 2G standard active.

The blackout has severed a critical lifeline for many Afghans, particularly women and students who had turned to the internet for education and employment since the Taliban imposed severe restrictions on their lives.

For students like Fahima, a university graduate who was banned from her profession, the internet was her last hope. “I recently enrolled in an online university [and] I had hoped to finish my studies and find an online job,” she told the BBC.

Now, her last hope has been destroyed, and she and her sisters “all sit at home doing nothing.” Similarly, a teacher named Zabi, who ran an online English centre for up to 80 students, said the cut-off caused 45 of his students to miss an international exam, leaving his female students with no other educational option.

Beyond education, the blackout is paralysing essential services and businesses. International news agencies have lost contact with their Kabul offices, and even flights from Kabul airport have been disrupted.

A money changer in Takhar province, Anas, reported that his business has been affected by about 90%, as most of his work is internet-dependent.

The United Nations mission in Afghanistan has urged the Taliban government to immediately restore nationwide internet access, warning that the incident will severely limit the public’s ability to contact the outside world. The strictures from the Taliban have grown increasingly hardline, including banning women from working for the UN and removing books written by women from university syllabuses.

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