Taliban shuts fiberoptic internet in Balkh over morality concerns

Officials in northern Afghanistan said on Tuesday that fiberoptic internet services were suspended in Balkh province by order of the country’s leadership, a move described by provincial authorities as an effort to "prevent immorality" that has left offices, businesses and homes dependent on slower mobile data. Provincial government spokesman Haji Attaullah Zaid said the restriction took effect Monday and that authorities were "considering alternatives" to meet essential needs.

The shutdown in Balkh, whose capital is Mazar‑i‑Sharif, immediately disrupted online government services, banking operations, remote learning and commercial activity in one of Afghanistan’s main economic centers, residents and local officials said. Service providers including Afghanistan Telecom and other cable operators were cut off, leaving mobile internet as the only functioning option. A resident, who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals, said mobile data is slow and expensive and that the loss of fast, stable internet threatened his business ties outside Afghanistan and could force him to relocate.

Officials and media monitors reported that similar cuts were later reported in several...