Telecommunications Blackout in Afghanistan as Taliban Cuts Internet Access

Thu Oct 16 2025 22:55:58 GMT+0300 (Eastern European Summer Time)

The Taliban has enforced a nationwide blackout of telecommunications, disrupting internet access across Afghanistan amidst ongoing restrictions and moral measures to control information flow.

Afghanistan is currently facing a total telecommunications blackout as the Taliban shuts down internet services nationwide. This follows a series of measures aimed at enforcing moral codes and suppressing perceived immorality. The blackout has led to severe disruptions to banking and business activities, with reports indicating that mobile services and satellite TV are largely unavailable. Observers note that this move represents a significant regression in connectivity, drawing comparisons to North Korea's internet censorship.

The Taliban in Afghanistan have imposed a nationwide shut down of telecommunications, weeks after they began severing fiber-optic internet connections to prevent what they call immorality.

The country is currently experiencing a total connectivity blackout, internet watchdog Netblocks reports.

International news agency AFP has lost contact with its office in the capital, Kabul, as mobile phone service suffers significant disruptions alongside mobile internet and satellite TV services across the nation.

Since seizing power in 2021, the Taliban have imposed numerous restrictions aligned with their interpretation of Islamic Sharia law.

Reports indicate that flights from Kabul airport have also been affected. Several residents in Kabul noted that their fiber-optic internet connections ceased functioning around 17:00 local time (12:30 GMT), leading to many not realizing the impact until business hours resumed.

In a post on social media, Netblocks stated, Afghanistan is now in the midst of a total internet blackout as Taliban authorities move to implement morality measures, with multiple networks disconnected through the morning in a stepwise manner; telephone services are currently also impacted.

Users in various provinces had already been expressing frustrations over slow internet speeds or total non-connectivity before this total blackout.

The Taliban has announced plans to establish alternative routes for internet access, although no details have been provided. Business leaders have warned that continued internet restrictions could severely cripple their operations.

Hamid Haidari, a former editor-in-chief of Afghan news channel 1TV, remarked after the shutdown, loneliness enveloped the entire country, highlighting the significant social impact of connectivity loss.

Haidari further added sarcastically that Afghanistan has now officially taken first place in the competition with North Korea for [internet] disconnection.

This blackout adds to a series of restrictions imposed by the Taliban since returning to power. Just earlier this month, they banned books authored by women from the university curriculum and outlawed the teachings of human rights and sexual harassment education.

Women and girls are particularly affected by these measures, being barred from education opportunities beyond the age of 12, with certain midwifery courses cut off at the end of 2024.

The Taliban, a hardline Islamist group, took control of Afghanistan in a swift takeover in 2021.