On Tuesday (30 September, local time), Afghanistan was plunged into a complete internet disruption, linked to the Taliban’s “ethical control” (the group had previously made it clear that it would fight “immoral activity” by cutting off the network), which has caused the country with its 43 million inhabitants to fall into a “gross network shutdown”.
According to Netblocks, an international network monitoring agency, the disconnection involved a number of major telecom operators, and fixed broadband, mobile data and voice calls were severely affected. It was the worst communication blockade since the Taliban returned to power in 2021.
Netblocks reported on the social media platform: "Afghanistan is experiencing a highly coordinated communication interruption. Multiple networks have been gradually offline since the evening of Monday (September 29), and by the morning of Tuesday (September 30), they have been disconnected nationwide, and the telephone service cannot be used normally."
The well-known Afghan news channel Tolo News also confirmed that its broadcasting signal was interrupted, and reporters could not transmit the report.
The aviation sector has also been affected. Flight data showed that many inbound flights to Kabul International Airport were temporarily cancelled on the morning of Tuesday (September 30), and communication coordination between the airport and the outside world was blocked.
After the disconnection incident, a large number of Afghan people overseas reported that they could not get in touch with their relatives at home, and anxiety spread.
Mohamed Hardy, a 30-year-old Afghan who now lives in New Delhi, India, said he left home in 2019 and had previously confirmed his family’s safety by video calls every day: “From yesterday onwards, all communication has disappeared.
The network disconnection order comes from the highest level of the Taliban
The Taliban has not yet issued an official statement explaining the reason for the breakdown, but multiple information points to the organization's "ethical control" plan.
Earlier this month, the governor of the northern Afghan province of Balkh, Hajj Zaid, openly said that he would “cut off the internet nationwide to stop unethical activities” and referred to the establishment of “alternative communications systems that meet basic needs”, but did not specify what “unethical activities” were.
Zayed also revealed that the order was issued directly by the Taliban's highest leader, Murawi Hibbatura Agonzada.
Troy News TV was informed from internal Taliban channels that mobile communications services may be partly restored recently, but can only provide 2G signal.This means that users can only make basic calls and text messages, can not use the Internet, video calls and other functions, equivalent to using technical means to separate people from the digital world.
Double injury to education
The United Nations Aid Mission for Afghanistan (UNAMA) said on Tuesday that a crackdown has seriously disrupted banking systems, medical emergencies, air schedules and cross-border transfers, exacerbating the country’s already severe humanitarian crisis.
UNAMA stressed in the statement: "Such blockades directly affect people's livelihood and aggravate the isolation of women and girls. It restricts access to information and disrupts economic operations, so the network connection must be restored immediately."
In the field of education, online courses have become the only way for a large number of women to gain knowledge since the Taliban banned girls from sixth grade and above.
Afghan journalist Vashida Fayez, who lives in Denmark, said: "My sister used to follow online teachers abroad every day, and now the internet is broken, she can only cry with her tablet.
Torek Farhadi, a former senior adviser of the International Monetary Fund, analyzed that many small and medium-sized enterprises in Afghanistan rely on the Internet to connect customers and complete transactions, and ordinary families also need to receive remittances from overseas relatives through the Internet, which is the main source of income for about 40% of families in the country.
He said: “The crackdown of the net equals the crushing of their livelihoods, and the deliberate push of society to the double blind zone of information and economy.”
After the crackdown, several hospitals in Afghanistan have previously relied on the Internet to obtain external medical guidance and distribution of drugs, and emergency services in some remote areas have been delayed.
Sabena Chowdhury, communications manager of the women's rights organization Afghan Women, told CNN reporters in New York: "This blockade has not only silenced millions of Afghans, but also cut off their lifeline with the outside world. We have lost contact with our colleagues in Afghanistan."