Afghanistan reels after Taliban-triggered nationwide internet blackout
“Taliban authorities cut internet access, triggering a nationwide blackout.”
Key points
- Taliban authorities cut internet access, triggering a nationwide blackout.
- Connectivity fell to under 1% of normal traffic, NetBlocks reported.
- The UN urged immediate restoration, citing humanitarian and economic harm.
- Flights were cancelled in Kabul and businesses and banking were disrupted.
Afghanistan suffered a nationwide communications blackout after Taliban authorities cut internet access, prompting urgent calls from the United Nations to restore services. Connectivity plunged to below one percent of normal levels, with no sign of recovery, according to monitoring group NetBlocks. The disruption has paralysed online commerce and banking and left families abroad unable to contact relatives at home. AFP reporters observed flights being cancelled at Kabul airport as the outage persisted. The UN mission in Afghanistan warned that the blackout undermines freedom of information, worsens an already dire humanitarian situation and threatens broader economic stability. It is the first shutdown of its kind since the Taliban returned to power in 2021. Residents described being “blind without phones and the internet.” Officials had reportedly been cautioned about the economic fallout, but the order to press ahead with a nationwide ban came from the Taliban’s supreme leader, Hibatullah Akhundzada.
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