Overview

• The ban, ordered by Supreme Leader Hibatullah Akhundzada, began in Balkh and now covers at least five northern provinces including Kunduz, Badakhshan, Baghlan and Takhar, according to provincial statements.
• Rights groups and journalists, including the Committee to Protect Journalists, called the broadband blackout an unprecedented escalation that impedes reporting and restricts the public’s access to information.
• Mobile data services remain available for now but are often slow, patchy and expensive, and authorities have offered only vague assurances of an unspecified domestic “alternative.”
• Additional reports describe shutdowns or disruptions in other regions such as Kandahar, Helmand, Uruzgan and Nimroz, with some outlets also citing cuts in Nangarhar, though officials have not detailed a nationwide plan.
• Businesses and students report severe disruptions, with contractors warning of lost trade and advocates noting that women and girls who rely on online education face renewed barriers.