The nationwide internet shutdown in Afghanistan has disrupted services for migrants at the Islam Qala border crossing, where aid operations rely heavily on computer systems, local sources told Afghanistan International.
They said the outage has disabled registration systems, forcing officials to process cases manually. The disruption has stalled parts of humanitarian operations and left many migrants unable to receive cash assistance.
Registration and assistance for returnees from Iran and Pakistan are fully computerised, with aid groups providing both cash and non-cash support once individuals are entered into the system.
With services paralysed, many aid workers have left their posts, the sources said. Migrants are now facing mounting hardships and are calling for internet access to be restored.
Human Rights Watch said Wednesday that the Taliban’s nationwide internet shutdown is violating Afghans’ basic rights and causing widespread harm to livelihoods, education and access to information.
In a statement, the rights group said the suspension of telecommunications services has disrupted commerce, media, health care and schooling.
“The Taliban’s moves to cut internet access harm the livelihoods of millions of Afghans and deprive them of their basic rights to education, health care and access to information,” said Fereshta Abbasi, HRW’s Afghanistan researcher. She urged the Taliban to end what she called a baselessly justified blackout.
The Taliban cut off internet and telecom services across the country on Monday evening, effectively shutting down businesses, airports, aid operations and television networks. Online classes, considered the last option for girls barred from schools and universities, have been halted.
A university lecturer told HRW that out of 28 students enrolled in his course, including 18 women, only nine managed to connect. The group said the blackout further isolates women and girls and closes off one of the few remaining avenues for learning, online work and access to services.
Activists warned the shutdown undermines community support programmes, particularly women-led initiatives. Journalists told HRW they have been unable to make domestic or international calls, even through platforms such as WhatsApp and Signal. Aid agencies also reported severe disruptions to relief efforts, which rely on connectivity for coordination.
“This is another crisis on top of the existing crises, and the impact is going to be on the lives of Afghan people,” said Indrika Ratwatte, the UN’s humanitarian coordinator in Afghanistan.
HRW stressed that access to the internet is widely recognised as essential for the realisation of human rights. The UN Human Rights Office has previously warned that shutdowns can undermine freedom of expression, political participation, safety, education, work and health, while worsening social and gender inequalities.
Abbasi said Afghans were already isolated from the world, but the blackout has “completely cut them off.” She added: “The longer the Taliban internet shutdowns continue, the more harmful the consequences for both the people and the country.”
The Afghanistan Freedom Front (AFF) accused the Taliban on Monday of turning Afghanistan into a “giant prison” after cutting off internet access nationwide.
The group said that the move has closed “the last windows of communication with the outside world” and caused millions of dollars in economic damage.
In a statement, the anti-Taliban armed group said internal rifts, growing public discontent and pressure from the United States had left the Taliban unsettled. It described the internet blackout as a desperate attempt by the group to preserve its rule.
Two days into the shutdown, private and public services remain paralysed. Banking, aviation and other essential sectors have been disrupted, while the Taliban has offered no explanation and taken no responsibility for the crisis.
Reports suggest divisions within the Taliban leadership over the decision. Zalmay Khalilzad, the former US envoy to Afghanistan and a politician seen as close to the group, wrote on X that Taliban leader Hibatullah Akhundzada’s order had even shocked his own ministers.
The Afghanistan Freedom Front called the internet cutoff a “foolish strategy” designed to block Afghan voices from reaching the outside world.
The Taliban’s network of proxy accounts on social media has gone offline following the nationwide shutdown of internet and telecommunications services, Afghanistan International has learned.
The accounts, which promoted the Taliban and attacked opponents under the names of politicians, journalists, artists and dozens of pseudonyms, have not posted for the past 24 hours. Social media messaging has been a central tool in the group’s propaganda strategy.
Taliban officials, including Interior Minister Sirajuddin Haqqani, had reportedly hired dozens of people to run these campaigns.
The Taliban last week ordered a complete suspension of fibre-optic internet and mobile networks, a move that drew widespread international criticism. The blackout has also stripped platforms such as X and Facebook of Taliban-aligned propaganda.
Sources previously told Afghanistan International that the Taliban’s defence and interior ministers, as well as its intelligence chief, maintained multiple social media groups staffed by dozens of paid propagandists.
The Taliban has imposed at least five new nationwide bans in 2024, further tightening restrictions on daily life in Afghanistan.
The latest came Monday, when the group abruptly cut off internet and telecommunications services across the country without explanation.
In addition to sweeping curbs on women’s education, employment, and political and economic participation, the Taliban has recently introduced measures affecting the wider population.
Internet and Mobile Services
On 16 September, the Taliban restricted internet access in northern and southern provinces, citing “immoral activities.” Initially imposed in Kandahar, Herat, Khost, Kunduz, Badakhshan, Baghlan, Takhar and Balkh, the ban was later expanded nationwide. On 29 September, all internet and telecom services were suspended across Afghanistan.
Books Authored by Women
In September, the Taliban barred the teaching of books written by female authors in universities.
Lessons on Women, Rights and Freedom
The Taliban’s Ministry of Education removed 51 lessons from school textbooks on topics such as freedom, women’s rights, human rights, the national flag, mothers and peace. Officials said the subjects were “inconsistent with Islamic instructions and the group’s policies.”
Chess
In late May, the Taliban declared chess “haram” and prohibited the game nationwide. The International Chess Federation condemned the decision, saying it would block the game’s growth in Afghanistan and deny players international opportunities.
Female Aid Workers
Although women have been banned from most forms of employment since 2022, the Taliban enforced the restriction more strictly after a deadly earthquake in eastern Afghanistan, preventing female aid workers from participating in relief efforts. The group has also prohibited Afghan women from working with international organisations and NGOs.
The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) on Tuesday urged the Taliban to immediately restore nationwide internet and telecommunications services.
The UN agency warned that the shutdown has cut the country off from the world and threatens to deepen an already dire humanitarian crisis.
In a statement, UNAMA said the blackout risks causing serious harm to the Afghan people, destabilising the economy, and worsening one of the world’s most severe humanitarian emergencies.
The mission warned of wide-ranging consequences, including disruption to banking and financial systems, restrictions on women’s and girls’ access to health care and education, difficulties in sending remittances, damage to the aviation sector, and limited access to emergency services. It also said the move has severely curtailed freedom of expression and access to information.
UNAMA noted that the shutdown comes as Afghanistan faces major earthquakes in the east, with women and girls making up more than half of the casualties, and amid the mass forced return of refugees from neighbouring countries. Cutting off communications in such circumstances, it said, endangers lives.
The mission added that it remains in contact with Taliban officials, under its UN Security Council mandate, to support the people of Afghanistan.