Taliban Leader Enforces Fibre-Optic Internet Ban In Balkh, Officials Confirm

Residents of Mazar-i-Sharif city said the shutdown began on Monday when Taliban authorities ordered service providers to cut Wi-Fi in the city. Local telecommunications companies confirmed the decision, saying it had been issued by Taliban officials.

Afghan Telecom and several other providers suspended cable-based internet services, though mobile networks remain operational.

A Kabul-based internet service provider told Afghanistan International that the Taliban halted fibre-optic services nationwide about 20 days ago. The company official, who requested anonymity due to security concerns, said providers contacted the Ministry of Communications for clarification but were told the directive had come directly from Kandahar.

According to the source, a Taliban cabinet delegation is expected to travel to Kandahar to brief the group’s supreme leader on the importance of fibre-optic services for major development projects, including the TAPI and TAP regional pipeline initiatives.

Direct Order from Akhundzada

A telecom official in Mazar-i-Sharif city also confirmed the shutdown, saying the decision was announced during an emergency meeting between Balkh governor Mohammad Yusuf Wafa and internet providers. He said Wafa told participants that the order had come directly from Taliban leader Hibatullah Akhundzada.

Companies said Taliban leaders have justified the restrictions as a way to curb “immorality.” In previous directives, service providers were instructed to block access to apps such as TikTok and PUBG, as well as pornography websites. Providers said the cost of such filtering was prohibitively high, between $50,000 and $100,000 a month. They managed to block some adult websites but failed to restrict the apps, a shortfall that repeatedly drew Taliban criticism.

Sources said Akhundzada has now opted to suspend high-speed internet altogether in order to control public opinion. The new policy may be implemented gradually, province by province.

Before the fibre-optic shutdown, average internet speeds in Afghanistan reached about 40 megabits per second. Since the suspension, speeds on wireless networks have fallen to between 4 and 6 Mbps.

Part of Global Trend

The Taliban’s move in Mazar-i-Sharif is the latest example of internet restrictions being used as a political tool. According to the global watchdog NetBlocks, there were 296 shutdowns recorded in 54 countries in 2024 alone.

Iran almost entirely cut internet access during protests over rising fuel prices in November 2019 and has since imposed widespread filtering and limits on high-speed services. Russia, since 2021, has throttled internet connections and blocked access to several social media platforms.

In May 2022, the UN Human Rights Office warned that shutdowns severely disrupt daily life, restricting access to information and essential services.

One of The World’s Slowest Networks

Afghanistan already ranks near the bottom of global connectivity. According to data from Ookla’s Speedtest, the country is placed 150th worldwide for internet speeds.

Analysts say the suspension or throttling of high-speed internet will further damage the quality of life in urban areas, where connectivity underpins commerce, education, and entertainment. They warn that the policy could have serious economic, educational, and social consequences, further isolating Afghans from access to information and participation in modern life.

The order brings to 21 the number of provinces where restrictions on showing living beings are enforced.

The watchdog, citing an informed source, said Taliban governor Yousuf Wafa held a meeting on September 8 with local officials, including Mullah Mohammad Mohammadi, head of the state-run Radio Television Afghanistan in Balkh. Wafa reportedly stressed that publishing images of living beings is prohibited and instructed officials not to take part in video recordings or interviews.

A local source said state television in Balkh stopped airing images immediately after the order and now broadcasts only on radio. The ban was reportedly issued after several Taliban officials travelled to Kandahar and met with the group’s leader, Hibatullah Akhundzada.

Since the adoption of the Taliban’s “Vice and Virtue” law in August last year, similar restrictions have been imposed in 20 other provinces, including Kandahar, Takhar, Badghis, Helmand, Nangarhar, Nuristan, Farah, Badakhshan, Baghlan, Nimroz, Jawzjan, Zabul, Parwan, Kunduz, Bamiyan, Daikundi, Faryab, Panjshir, Laghman and Sar-e-Pul.

The Afghanistan Journalists Centre condemned the move as a violation of fundamental freedoms of expression and independent media. It warned the restrictions would harm media operations, jeopardise journalists’ safety and undermine the public’s right to information.

The group urged the Taliban to review and revoke the directive along with other decrees that contradict Afghanistan’s media laws.

The adviser, Farooq Azam, was detained on the orders of Taliban supreme leader Hibatullah Akhundzada, the sources said. He has reportedly been transferred to the Taliban’s oversight office in Kabul, and his case referred to a military court in the capital.

“He had recently written posts and made comments in private meetings that contradicted the emirate’s [Taliban] policies, which led to his arrest,” one source said.

Azam drew attention last week when he wrote on Facebook that female nurses should be sent to Kunar to demonstrate to Taliban members opposed to women’s education “that women’s learning is useful” and to provide a practical example of its importance to society.

He also appealed to female health professionals inside and outside Afghanistan to act swiftly to assist those affected by the disaster.

In his post, Azam asked: “Can our educated women take initiative and make sacrifices to secure their place in society? If the answer is yes, then now is the time.”

The delegation, led by Iran’s Minister of Industry, Mines and Trade Mohammad Atabak, includes members of parliament and other senior officials, according to the ministry.

In a statement, the ministry said the group had already held meetings with Taliban officials. The delegation is also expected to travel to Herat to visit Islam Qala port, the railway line and mining projects, and to meet with representatives of the Afghan private sector.

Although Tehran has not formally recognised the Taliban, Iran remains the group’s largest trading partner. Taliban officials say annual trade between the two sides is valued at about $4 billion.

Abdul Manan Shahidzada, head of the Taliban’s Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice in Daikundi province, told state radio that the initiative had already begun there. He said the decree, issued on 29 August, tasked provincial offices of the ministry with identifying and collecting patients.

According to Shahidzada, the order aims to “maintain social order, prevent urban problems and address the condition of mentally ill patients.” He said those collected would be handed over to the Taliban-controlled Red Crescent and other organisations.

The announcement has raised concerns, given the Taliban’s previous treatment of vulnerable people. Last October, Taliban members shot dead a 22-year-old mentally ill man who had blocked them from entering his home. Witnesses said the fighters had attempted to forcibly take him to their checkpoint.