UN appeals to the Taliban to restore internet access across Afghanistan
- The Taliban imposed a nationwide internet blackout in Afghanistan starting September 29, 2025, leaving the country largely disconnected.
- The blackout followed a decree by Taliban leader Hibatullah Akhundzada earlier that month aimed at preventing immorality, continuing their control since August 2021.
- This shutdown disrupted banking, healthcare, remittances, and aviation services while isolating women and girls amid recent earthquakes and forced migrations.
- Michael Kugelman called it one of the most extreme Taliban actions since 2021, while Afghan expatriates reported inability to contact family or send financial support.
- The United Nations mission urged the Taliban on September 30, 2025, to restore internet access, highlighting impacts on freedom of expression, economic stability, and humanitarian crises.
183 Articles
183 Articles
‘I couldn’t reach them’: Afghans abroad despair as Taliban blackout severs all contact
PARIS, Oct 2 — Afghans around the world are despairing at losing contact with loved ones after a Taliban-enforced internet blackout plunged the country into near-total isolation on Monday.Connectivity in Afghanistan is now running at less than one per cent of normal levels, according to internet governance watchdog Netblocks, after Taliban authorities ordered the shutdown “until further notice.”The blackout adds to the hardships faced by one of …
Afghanistan Goes Dark: Taliban Pull Plug on 40 Million People
This article was originally published by G. Calder at The Exposé. The entire country of Afghanistan has just entered a total communications blackout. At 5 pm on Monday, 29 September, Taliban authorities cut the country’s fibre-optic backbone, reducing internet and mobile connectivity to less than 1% of normal operations, according to internet watchdog NetBlocks. The UN has called for services to be restored immediately, warning of severe economi…
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