Mobile and internet networks return to Afghanistan after nationwide shutdown

Taliban rejects reports of internet ban and blames worn-out fibre-optic cables

A man believed to be using a Pakistani SIM connects to an internet network with his phone near the Pakistan border in Spin Boldak, Afghanistan. EPA

Internet services and mobile networks were restored in Kabul and other provinces across Afghanistan on Wednesday, local media reported, after a 48-hour telecoms shutdown.

Residents and media outlets confirmed the systems were operating again after a blackout that disrupted the country's banking, commerce and aviation sectors.

The ruling Taliban government rejected reports of a nationwide internet ban, blaming the blackout on the country's worn-out fibre-optic cables. The announcement was the Taliban's first public statement on the shutdown.

“There is nothing like the rumours being spread that we have imposed a ban on the internet," Taliban officials said on X.

The statement cited Taliban chief spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid, who said nationwide disruptions were the result of “decaying fibre-optic infrastructure”.

On Monday night, mobile phone signal and internet services gradually weakened until connectivity was less than 1 per cent of ordinary levels, internet watchdog NetBlocks reported. On Tuesday, Afghanistan faced a second day without connection.

It was the first communications shutdown since the Taliban took power in an insurgency in 2021 and imposed their strict interpretation of Sharia.

Attaullah Zaid, a spokesman for the Afghan province of Balkh, said on September 16 that a telecoms ban would be imposed on the orders of the Taliban's supreme leader Hibatullah Akhundzada. "This measure was taken to prevent vice and alternative options will be put in place across the country to meet connectivity needs," he wrote on social media.

Several provinces last month confirmed an internet shutdown after a decree from the Taliban leader to combat immorality.

A government official who asked not to be identified told AFP this week that "8,000 to 9,000 telecommunications pillars" would be shut down and a blackout would last "until further notice".

The Taliban's supreme leader reportedly ignored warnings from some officials last month about the economic fallout and ordered authorities to press ahead with the nationwide ban.