Taliban denies nationwide ban on internet access as outage paralyses Afghanistan

Published on 01/10/2025 - 13:00 GMT+2

The Taliban authorities dismissed reports of a nationwide net prohibition successful Afghanistan connected Wednesday, saying that disruptions were owed to aged fibre optic cables being replaced.

The announcement is nan Taliban's first connection regarding a communications blackout that has disrupted banking, commerce and aviation and near nan state almost wholly trim disconnected from nan extracurricular world since Monday.

Several provinces confirmed an net shutdown past period pursuing a decree from nan Taliban leader Hibatullah Akhundzada to combat immorality.

The nationwide outage was first reported connected Monday by integer defense group Netblocks.

It said net connectivity was collapsing crossed nan country, including successful nan superior Kabul, and that telephone services were besides affected.

"There is thing for illustration nan rumours being dispersed that we person imposed a prohibition connected nan internet," Taliban officials said successful a short connection shared pinch Pakistani journalists.

Taliban main spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said nan nationwide disruptions were nan consequence of "decaying fibre optic infrastructure" that is now being replaced, according to nan statement.

It did not opportunity erstwhile aliases if services would beryllium restored. Euronews could not independently verify nan statement.

The UN Assistance Mission successful Afghanistan urged nan Taliban connected Tuesday to reconstruct net and telecommunications entree crossed nan country, informing that it threatened economical stableness and could deepen 1 of nan world's worst humanitarian crises.

The UN agency said nan blackout is crippling banking and financial systems, isolating women and girls, limiting entree to aesculapian attraction and remittances and disrupting aerial travel.

It besides said that telecommunications are important during disasters. Afghanistan precocious suffered awesome earthquakes successful nan eastbound and is struggling pinch wide forced returns from neighbouring countries.

Afghan bearer Kam Air told section TV transmission TOLO News it would apt resume flights to Kabul later connected Wednesday, aft afloat halting operations connected Monday owed to nan outage.

According to formation search work Flightradar24, astir flights scheduled to get successful aliases depart from Kabul airdrome successful caller days were either cancelled aliases had their position marked arsenic "unknown."