Taliban Cut Afghanistan’s Telecoms Nationwide as Blackout Enters Second Day

Overview

• Internet monitors reported national connectivity below 1% after fiber links were severed, describing the disruption as an intentional shutdown.
• A government official told AFP the cut would last until further notice and said 8,000 to 9,000 telecom nodes would be taken offline.
• Mobile networks, internet, and many broadcast services went dark, AFP lost contact with its Kabul office, and international flights were canceled.
• UN agencies warned the outage threatens the economy and humanitarian response and said women and girls would be hit especially hard.
• Taliban officials earlier framed provincial restrictions as curbing vice, and state control of a 9,000‑plus km fiber network enabled a rapid nationwide switch-off, with only limited radio and satellite workarounds reported.