Taliban Have Turned Afghanistan Into ‘Giant Prison’, Says AFF
The Afghanistan Freedom Front (AFF) accused the Taliban on Monday of turning Afghanistan into a “giant prison” after cutting off internet access nationwide.
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.
