Internet restored in Afghanistan after 48-hour shutdown
Afghanistan’s mobile and internet services were restored on October 1, 2025, after a 48-hour nationwide shutdown imposed by the Taliban. The blackout halted businesses, banks, airports, and schools, leaving the country almost entirely cut off from the outside world. The United Nations called on authorities to restore access, as no official explanation for the outage has been given.
Mobile and internet services were restored across Afghanistan on 1 October 2025, ending a 48-hour nationwide blackout imposed by the Taliban authorities.
The shutdown, which began without warning on the evening of Monday, 29 September, disrupted daily life by forcing the closure of businesses, banks, markets, airports, and schools.
Reports from NetBlocks, an internet monitoring group, indicated that connectivity had dropped to one percent of normal levels during the blackout. A government official had told AFP shortly before the disruption that the fibre optic network would be cut ‘until further notice.’
The Taliban government has not commented publicly on the outage. However, earlier in September, provincial officials had said that internet restrictions were ordered by the group’s supreme leader, citing concerns over morality and social influence.
The United Nations described the shutdown as having ‘left Afghanistan almost completely cut off from the outside world’ and urged authorities to restore access.
Why does it matter?
The massive blackout came weeks after the government began cutting high-speed internet connections to some provinces to prevent what it called ‘immorality.’ This was strongly criticised by civil society organisations, saying it amounted to systematic repression and an attempt to silence dissent. Over 100 groups warned that the shutdown blocked the free flow of information, undermined development, and deprived citizens, particularly women, of one of their last spaces for education, communication, and expression. Women’s protest movements described the internet as a fundamental right and argued that the blackout concealed human rights abuses while isolating Afghans from the outside world.
