Internet and telecom services are being restored in Afghanistan after a nationwide shutdown by the Taliban government provoked widespread condemnation.
Local reporters noted that communications were resuming across various provinces while internet monitoring service Netblocks indicated a partial restoration of connectivity.
The 48-hour blackout impacted businesses, grounded flights, and limited access to emergency services. It raised serious concerns about further isolating women and girls, whose rights have already been significantly eroded since the Taliban took power in 2021.
The Taliban government has not issued an official explanation for the blackout. However, a spokesperson for the Taliban governor in the northern province of Balkh previously mentioned that internet access was being blocked for the prevention of vices.
Under Taliban rule, numerous restrictions have been imposed, particularly affecting women. Since the ban on girls over 12 from receiving education, Afghan women have expressed that the internet serves as a crucial link to the world beyond their immediate confines.
Women’s employment prospects have also been greatly restricted, with reports indicating the removal of books authored by women from university curriculums in September.
Following the abrupt internet suspension, the United Nations released a statement expressing that Afghanistan was nearly cut off from the outside world. It warned that the blackout could inflict significant harm on the Afghan populace, posing risks to economic stability and worsening one of the world's most dire humanitarian crises.
