Afghanistan was cut off from the global communications network on Sunday night after all fibre-optic internet services and telecommunications systems across the country were abruptly shut down.
The blackout left citizens without internet access or the ability to make phone calls nationwide.
Internet providers including Roshan, Etisalat, Afghan Wireless and Afghan Telecom had earlier warned customers that services would be “temporarily” suspended on orders from government authorities. A Taliban official confirmed that the directive came from the Afghanistan Telecom Regulatory Authority (ATRA) and the Ministry of Telecommunications.
The decision has effectively severed Afghanistan’s connection with the outside world, preventing people abroad from contacting those inside the country.
A source told Afghanistan International that a meeting between ATRA officials and service providers earlier in the day had been tense. According to the source, the Ministry of Telecommunications was angered by Taliban leader Hibatullah Akhundzada’s order but was instructed to enforce the nationwide cutoff “unilaterally.” Officials reportedly hope that the scale of the shutdown, and the public and international backlash, might prompt the Taliban leadership to reconsider.
A telecommunications technician explained that ordinary phone services collapsed because mobile towers rely on fibre-optic infrastructure. With those lines disabled, Afghans have been left without any form of communication.
