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3w ago

Taliban Expands Fiber-Optic Internet Ban Across Afghan Provinces

Officials frame the shutdown as preventing “immorality,” offering only a vague domestic alternative with no timeline.

Fibre optic is the technology that is most in use in Afghanistan, an official of another private operator in Kabul said.
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Overview

  • The order was issued by Supreme Leader Hibatullah Akhundzada, according to provincial spokesmen.
  • Fibre connections were cut in Balkh and extended to other regions, with reports naming Kunduz, Badakhshan, Baghlan, Takhar and disruptions in Kandahar, Helmand, Uruzgan, Nimroz and Nangarhar.
  • Mobile data still works but is slower and costlier, leaving government offices, banks, businesses, schools and media with degraded or unreliable access.
  • Usage data tracked by NetBlocks and local accounts show steep drops in connectivity and tens of thousands losing regular internet service.
  • Rights groups including CPJ condemned the blackout as an escalation of censorship, while former U.S. envoy Zalmay Khalilzad urged restoration or targeted filtering instead.