A Taliban crackdown on internet access is spreading across Afghanistan, with more provinces losing fiber-optic connections after the country’s supreme leader ordered a ban to “prevent immorality.” It is the first time such a ban has been enforced since the Taliban returned to power in August 2021, and it has left millions without Wi-Fi in their homes, offices, schools, and businesses.
The shutdown began earlier this week in Balkh province. Within days, the blackout stretched across Kunduz, Baghlan, Badakhshan, and Takhar in the north. In southern provinces, including Kandahar, Helmand, Nangarhar, and Uruzgan, residents also reported that high-speed connections were cut. Mobile internet is still working, but users say it is slow, unstable, and unreliable.
Provincial officials confirmed the decision came directly from Taliban 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,” Balkh spokesman Attaullah Zaid said in a statement posted on X.
The sudden ban has left Afghan families and businesses in turmoil. Fiber-optic lines were the backbone of the country’s connectivity. For many, the internet is not just a tool for entertainment but a lifeline for trade, education, and communication with the outside world.
“If we don’t answer emails from clients in Dubai and India on time, we will lose all our contracts,” said Atta Mohammed, a marble trader in Kandahar. His voice broke with frustration. “I haven’t slept in two nights. Our business will collapse if this continues.”
Students are also affected. A university student in Kabul, who requested anonymity, described the fear of being cut off completely. “We are being isolated from the world. This is not about morality. This is about controlling people.”
Officials insist the shutdown is part of a campaign to protect Afghan society from “corruption.” In Nangarhar, spokesman Qureshi Badloun said new studies had shown that online applications were harming Afghanistan’s “economic, social, cultural, and religious foundations” and pushing people toward “immoral behavior.”
The Taliban has previously raised concerns about pornography and online conversations between men and women. “This action is needed to prevent immoral activities,” Badloun said, adding that alternative connections would be made available for “necessary use.”
But no details were given about what those alternatives might be or how they would function in rural areas where mobile signals are already weak.
The ban has sparked anger among Afghan media organizations and human rights groups. The Afghanistan Media Support Organization said the blackout was a serious attack on freedom of expression. “This action, carried out on the orders of the Taliban’s leader, not only disrupts millions of citizens’ access to free information and essential services but also poses a grave threat to freedom of expression and the work of the media,” the group said in a statement.
Former U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad also criticized the decision, calling it “absurd.” He noted that other Islamic countries deal with online problems by filtering harmful websites, not cutting off entire networks. “If pornography is really the concern, it can easily be filtered. Many countries in the Islamic world do exactly that,” he said.
The Taliban’s ban on high-speed internet is only the latest in a series of restrictions that have drawn global criticism. Since retaking Kabul in 2021, the group has barred girls from secondary schools, forced women out of many jobs, and introduced strict rules on dress and public behavior. Drivers are banned from playing music. Women must cover their faces in public. Men are ordered to grow beards.
Last year, officials celebrated the completion of Afghanistan’s 9,350-kilometre fiber-optic network, calling it a “priority project” to help the country escape poverty. But today that network is being deliberately shut down, leaving Afghan entrepreneurs, students, and journalists without a stable way to connect to the world.
Foreign governments and aid agencies warn the blackout will deepen Afghanistan’s isolation. One European diplomat, speaking to reporters on condition of anonymity, said, “Connectivity is not a luxury; it is a necessity. Cutting it off pushes Afghanistan further into poverty and isolation.”
For local Afghans, the fear is real. Businesses are losing deals. Students cannot access online classes. Families cannot communicate with relatives abroad.
“This is not a temporary inconvenience,” said a shopkeeper in Kunduz. “It is like they are building a wall around us.”
The Taliban’s move to ban fiber-optic internet across several provinces is part of its larger campaign to control daily life under its strict interpretation of Islamic law. While officials defend the decision as a way to prevent vice, critics say it is another step toward silencing Afghans and isolating the country.
