Taliban Orders Nationwide Internet and Communications Shutdown

Taliban authorities imposed a nationwide shutdown of internet and other communications on Monday, cutting fibre optic networks across Afghanistan after weeks of targeted provincial disconnections. The move, ordered by Supreme Leader Hibatullah Akhundzada and described by officials as aimed at curbing what they called immorality, left much of the country operating with only a fraction of normal connectivity and disrupted phone, banking and government services.

Internet governance watchdog Netblocks said the outage appeared to be an intentional disconnection and described it as a comprehensive blackout, reporting that national connectivity had fallen to very low levels. The shutdown was implemented in a stepwise fashion, with authorities saying the closures would proceed gradually. A government official who spoke on condition of anonymity said the cuts would last until further notice and that thousands of telecommunications pillars would be switched off, warning that banking, customs and other systems would be affected.

Local broadcasters and journalists reported that television and radio transmissions were also disrupted and that mobile networks were difficult to reach from...