Pakistan’s Imports From Afghanistan Jump 50 Precent In August

Fixed internet connections were cut from 8 p.m. Monday until 8 a.m. Tuesday, sources at local providers told Afghanistan International. Services resumed in the morning, but the reason for the blackout was not immediately clear.

The move comes as the Taliban have blocked fibre-optic internet in several provinces over the past 10 days, prompting some areas, including Herat, to rely on DSL connections via landlines.

A Herat-based source said the outage did not appear linked to Taliban leader Hibatullah Akhundzada’s order to suspend fibre-optic internet nationwide and was likely imposed for security reasons.

It was the first time the Taliban had ordered a complete overnight internet shutdown in a province. Before returning to power in 2021, the group often pressured telecom companies in rural areas to cut service at night.

The Taliban’s wider curbs on internet access have drawn widespread criticism and caused severe disruption to daily life across Afghanistan.

The governor’s office in Nangarhar province said late Monday that the closure was caused by an internet outage on the Pakistani side of the border.

On Monday, the crossing was restricted to deported migrants and transit traffic, while other travellers were turned away. Taliban officials initially cited an “unknown” reason for the shutdown before confirming that the disruption stemmed from Pakistan.

Pakistani authorities have not commented on the cause of the outage.

The Torkham crossing, one of the busiest border points between the two countries, has been repeatedly closed in recent years due to technical issues and border tensions.

In a statement, the group said Mullah Hebat Khan, also known as Mullah Sangeen, the commander of the Taliban’s rapid reaction unit in Takhar province, was killed Sunday night in Baghlan-e-Markazi district of Baghlan province. Fighters reportedly attacked a Taliban vehicle on a main highway, destroying it completely.

The Taliban have not commented on the claim.

The resistance group’s operations have mostly been limited to sporadic attacks on Taliban checkpoints and military convoys, with little sign of a significant shift in its strength or capabilities over the past four years.

The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan said in a recent report that resistance groups carried out 56 attacks against Taliban targets across the country between 2 February and 30 April this year.

Speaking Sunday at the inauguration of a school in Paktia province, Habibullah Agha said reliance on “Kalashnikovs and swords” is inadequate in the modern era. “If we are not familiar with modern sciences, we cannot build drones, airplanes or bombs,” he said.

Agha stressed that only through learning modern sciences could Afghans counter US drones and secure the country’s sovereignty.

Although he did not directly reference Taliban leader Hibatullah Akhundzada or his restrictive decrees, the remarks were seen as a veiled criticism of the group’s leadership, which has imposed sweeping limits on education, particularly for girls.

Girls have been barred from schools and universities for nearly four years, and the Taliban have reshaped the curriculum by expanding religious subjects and opening hundreds of religious schools.

Two years ago, the Education Ministry said modern sciences would be included in the curriculum in a way consistent with “national and Islamic culture.” It also confirmed that subjects deemed contrary to “Sharia and culture” had been removed.

The Afghanistan Journalists Support Organization (AJSO), which published its findings Monday, said women reporters face severe challenges and urged the international community to act decisively in their support.

The data, collected through an online questionnaire in late July and early August, surveyed 101 female journalists still based inside Afghanistan. The report found that 92 percent said they had been forced to alter or censor their reporting.

Only 6.9 percent of respondents said they were formally permitted to work. Another 35 percent said they continue working despite expanding restrictions, including rules requiring a male guardian at the workplace, bans on interviewing men and strict dress codes.

More than 55 percent of respondents reported facing personal threats, while 32 percent said they now work secretly, mainly for online outlets. Rising restrictions have forced 24 percent of female journalists to resign, and 54 percent reported losing their jobs.

Despite the risks, the organisation noted, many women continue their reporting quietly and in secret. It called on the international community to provide direct financial assistance and ensure access to online training in digital security and mental health.