By RFE/RL’s Radio Azadi October 8, 2025 Internet watchdog NetBlocks has confirmed reports from inside Afghanistan that several major social media sites have been “intentionally restricted.” “Metrics show social media platforms Instagram, Facebook and Snapchat are now restricted on multiple providers in Afghanistan; the incident follows last week’s telecoms blackout and is the latest in
Afghanistan International: Locals in Kabul, Parwan, Balkh, Samangan, and Faryab said the social media disruption began recently. Some users also reported being unable to log into Snapchat. Click here to read more (external link). Related Internet Connectivity for Families in Southern Afghanistan Severely Limited
Afghanistan International: The Taliban’s Ministry of Higher Education has banned professors and administrative staff below grade four from using smartphones at universities, citing concerns that mobile phone use “causes distraction and complicates work.” Click here to read more (external link).
Khaama: Internet and telecom networks were restored in Afghanistan after a 72-hour blackout, resuming gradually with slow speeds, technical restrictions, and concerns over future sudden disruptions. Internet services in Afghanistan were restored on Wednesday after a nationwide blackout that lasted nearly 72 hours. The shutdown, ordered under senior leadership, caused severe disruption across the country.
Freshta Shikhani Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty September 30, 2025 The Taliban has imposed a nationwide shutdown of telecommunications in Afghanistan, a move that has largely cut off the country from the rest of the world. The hard-line Islamist group severed access to fiber-optic Internet across Afghanistan on September 29. Mobile phone networks, which share the same system,
Khaama: Afghan citizens criticized the nationwide internet blackout, warning it deepens isolation, disrupts communications, limits access to information, and pushes Afghanistan further from global progress and development. Afghan citizens have voiced sharp criticism over the nationwide shutdown of fiber optic internet, warning that the blackout threatens communication and further isolates the country. Access to fiber
Afghanistan International: Taliban leader Mullah Hibatullah Akhundzada attempted to block the use of smartphones in Afghanistan before ordering the shutdown of wireless internet, sources told Afghanistan International. According to the sources, about a year ago in Kandahar, Akhundzada asked the Taliban’s council of clerics to find a “religious justification” for banning smartphones. The aim, they
Amu: Internet services provided by Afghan Telecom, the state-owned operator, were cut in Kandahar province on Tuesday afternoon, local sources told Amu TV. The disruption comes days after Afghan Telecom’s fiber-optic services were shut down in Balkh province in northern Afghanistan. Taliban officials there confirmed the blackout, saying it was ordered by the Taliban’s supreme
Amu: The Taliban’s provincial police chief in Kunar has threatened local journalists, warning them not to report on complaints from survivors of a recent earthquake, according to several people familiar with the matter. Zia-ul-Haq Hamed, the Taliban’s police commander in Kunar, told reporters in a meeting that they must avoid publishing stories that present what
Amu: During a live broadcast of the Taliban Foreign Ministry’s annual press briefing on Wednesday, the voices of at least two female journalists who asked questions were muted by the state-run national television broadcaster. The event, led by Amir Khan Muttaqi, the Taliban’s acting foreign minister, was aired live on state television. When two women