Taliban shuts down internet indefinitely in Afghanistan
On orders from the ruling Taliban, Afghanistan's telecommunications authorities have capped fiber optic internet access. It is unclear how long telephone and cellular networks will be affected, or to what degree.
Afghanistan's Taliban authorities have ordered a nationwide shutdown of the country's fibre optic internet "until further notice," according to a government source who spoke with French news agency AFP on the condition of anonymity.
The move represents the first nationwide shutdown of the internet in Afghanistan and will result in a "comprehensive, total blackout," according to London-based internet and cybersecurity watchdog NetBlocks.
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Speaking before the shutdown, the unnamed government source told AFP, "There isn't any other way or system to communicate... the banking sector, customs, everything across the country will be affected."
It is unclear at this point just how hard telephone and cellular connections will be hit, but AFP said it had lost phone contact with its Kabul bureau on Monday around 5:45 p.m. (1345 GMT).
Speaking with AFP, internet-access advocacy group NetBlocks said that phone communications in Afghanistan are largely routed through the country's fibre optic network, hence, "Physically pulling the plug on fibre internet would therefore also shut down mobile and fixed-line telephone services."
On Monday, NetBlocks posted updates on social media reading: "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."
The statement was accompanied by a chart that showed connectivity dropping to just 1 per cent over the course of a couple of hours. Kabul-based TOLOnews said the interruptions are affecting radio and television transmissions as well.
Taliban says 'immorality' and 'vice' forcing internet shutdown
The Taliban began severing fibre optic cables in other regions to combat "vice" several weeks ago.
Earlier this month, the Taliban's provincial spokesman in Balkh said that internet access had been cut on leadership's orders, noting, "This measure was taken to prevent vice, and alternative options will be put in place across the country to meet connectivity needs."
During that same time, similar restrictions were put in place in the northern provinces of Badakhshan and Takhar, as well as in Kandahar, Helmand, Nangarhar and Uruzgan in the south.
Internet speeds are now expected to be downgraded from 4G to 2G in the coming hours or days, posing potentially grave problems for the country's economy and its government administrators.
The Taliban has implemented numerous restrictions designed to combat "immorality" as defined by its strict interpretation of Islam since returning to power in 2021.
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