Afghanistan Mobile Networks Restored After 48-Hour Nationwide Telecommunications Shutdown by Taliban

Mobile network services resumed operation across multiple provinces in Afghanistan on Wednesday, including the capital Kabul, following a 48-hour telecommunications shutdown imposed by Taliban authorities.

On Monday night, confusion spread throughout the South Asian nation when mobile phone service and internet connectivity suddenly disappeared.

This extensive blackout occurred just weeks after the government had begun restricting high-speed internet access in certain provinces to combat "immorality," following directives from the reclusive supreme leader Hibatullah Akhundzada.

AFP journalists confirmed on Wednesday that mobile phone signals and wifi connectivity had been restored across various provinces, including southern Kandahar, eastern Khost, central Ghazni, and western Herat.

The Taliban government has not yet issued any official statement regarding the telecommunications shutdown.

This marks the first nationwide communications disruption since the Taliban regained power in 2021 and implemented a strict interpretation of Islamic law.

Netblocks, a cybersecurity and internet governance watchdog organization, reported that the blackout "appears consistent with the intentional disconnection of service" and noted that connectivity had plummeted to approximately one percent of normal levels.

Shortly before the shutdown on Monday evening, a government official informed AFP that the fiber optic network would be cut, affecting mobile services "until further notice."

The outage resulted in widespread closures of businesses, airports, and markets, while financial institutions and postal services were unable to function.

Afghan citizens could not communicate with each other domestically or internationally, and many parents kept their children home from school due to the uncertainty.

Residents of Herat and Kandahar traveled to border areas to access signals from neighboring Iran and Pakistan.

On Tuesday, the United Nations stated that the shutdown had "left Afghanistan almost completely cut off from the outside world" and urged authorities to restore access.

Internet connections had been experiencing extreme slowness or intermittent availability for several weeks prior to the complete blackout.

When internet services were initially restricted in northern provinces on September 16, Balkh provincial spokesman Attaullah Zaid stated that the ban had been ordered by the Taliban's leader.

"This measure was taken to prevent vice, and alternative options will be put in place across the country to meet connectivity needs," he announced on social media.

"Recent studies in Afghanistan found that internet applications have badly affected the ongoing, economic, cultural and religious foundations of society," he added.