Internet and Telecom Networks Restored in Afghanistan After 72-Hour Blackout

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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. Residents in several provinces, including Herat and Kandahar, Kabul confirmed that fiber optic and mobile networks had come back online. However, access remained limited, with slow speeds and technical restrictions still in place. Click here to read more (external link).

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U.S. State Department: Taliban Involved in Bacha Bazi as Human Trafficking Intensifies in Afghanistan

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Taliban fighters (file photo)

8am: The latest report from the U.S. State Department on human trafficking in Afghanistan paints a grim and alarming picture of the Taliban’s conduct. The report reveals that the Taliban have not only failed to prevent the recruitment of children into their military ranks but that recurring incidents of bacha bazi (sexual exploitation of boys) and sexual slavery have been committed by members of the group. Former Afghan security personnel who fled to neighboring countries are now also at risk of being exploited for military purposes in proxy wars, including the war in Ukraine. Other key findings of the report include sexual exploitation and forced labor of migrants, lack of effective international support, and rising abuse of vulnerable groups such as women, children, and ethnic minorities. Click here to read more (external link).

Afghanistan Goes Dark As Taliban Imposes Nationwide Communications Blackout

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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, were also mostly shut down.

The move has sparked chaos in Afghanistan, disrupting flights and cutting people off from banking and e-commerce systems as well as online jobs and schools.

The blackout is likely to exacerbate the economic strife in Afghanistan, where poverty is rising, hunger is widespread, and unemployment is high.

Internet watchdog NetBlocks said late on September 29 that Afghanistan was “in the midst of a total Internet blackout.”

“We had no warning that the Internet would be shut down,” said a female teacher living in Hairatan, a town in northern Afghanistan near the border with Uzbekistan. “It’s not just the Internet, but mobile phone signal.”

The woman, who spoke to RFE/RL’s Radio Azadi on condition of anonymity for fear of retribution, said local SIM cards had been deactivated, and she had purchased an Uzbek SIM card.

The Taliban has not given an official reason for the shutdown. But the communications blackout came weeks after the group started blocking access to fiber-optic Internet in several provinces.

The group said the move was intended to prevent “immorality,” with the Taliban previously voicing concern over pornography and online intimacy between men and women.

But critics have said the decision is part of a wider crackdown on individual freedoms and the free flow of information.

Since seizing power in 2021, the Taliban has severely restricted the rights of Afghans, especially women, and violently cracked down on dissent.

The Taliban has used its own interpretation of Islamic Shari’a law to justify its extremist policies. But Islamic scholars say there is no religious grounds for the group’s decision to shut down the Internet.

‘Many Problems’

The communications blackout has affected ordinary Afghans, private businesses, and government offices.

A resident of the northeastern province of Badakhshan told Radio Azadi that the shutdown had caused people “many problems.”

“It’s had a lot of negative effects on our lives,” said the man, who asked not to be named. “People aren’t able to work or stay connected with their families.”

The UN mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) in a September 30 statement called on the Taliban to immediately and fully restore nationwide Internet and telecommunications access.

“The cut in access has left Afghanistan almost completely cut off from the outside world, and risks inflicting significant harm on the Afghan people, including by threatening economic stability and exacerbating one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises.”

Ishaq Atmar, an Afghan analyst based in Germany, said the communication shutdown will have wide-ranging consequences.

“It’s a huge loss for both the people of Afghanistan and the economy of this country,” he told Radio Azadi. “If you cut off the Internet, it means that you have cut off life because nothing is possible without the Internet.”

The Internet has been a lifeline for Afghan women, many of whom lost their right to work and study following a Taliban ban in 2022.

The broadband blackouts are likely to exacerbate the economic strife in Afghanistan, where poverty is rising, hunger is widespread, and unemployment is high.

Meanwhile, media watchdogs have condemned the Internet ban as an attempt to stop the free flow of information.

Haroon Basir, an Afghan journalist based in France, told Radio Azadi that he has not been able to contact his family in Afghanistan since September 29.

“This is a huge pain for me,” he said. “It’s a huge challenge for thousands of Afghans who are outside Afghanistan and cannot contact their families.”

Copyright (c) 2025. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave NW, Ste 400, Washington DC 20036.

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Afghanistan women’s players to attend World Cup opener

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ESPN: When India take on Sri Lanka at the Women’s World Cup 2025 opener, the spotlight will not just be on the players on the field but also on some of those off it. A group of Afghanistan’s women’s cricketers, currently living in exile in Australia, will be in attendance at the Assam Cricket Association (ACA) Stadium in Guwahati in one of the first attempts to integrate them into the global game. The players do not represent Afghanistan as they are not recognised by the ACB but are playing in league structures in Australia. They will have no formal role at the game, where they will be received as spectators. Click here to read more (external link).

Kabul Internet Shutdown Leaves Afghanistan Isolated

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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 optic internet and mobile networks has been cut in Kabul, while the number of provinces facing internet shutdowns has reached seventeen. The Taliban have not provided any explanation for the disruption across the country. Click here to read more (external link).

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Afghan Consulate Staff In Bonn Resign Over Germany’s Move To Accept Taliban Envoys

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Afghanistan International: The acting head and staff of Afghanistan’s consulate in Bonn have resigned in protest at Germany’s decision to accredit Taliban diplomats and hand the mission to the group. In a statement, the consulate team said their decision was driven by Berlin’s move to send two Taliban representatives to the mission. Hamid Nangialay Kabiri, the acting head of the consulate, said in a video message that all staff had stepped down, citing opposition to what he called the transfer of Afghan citizens’ documents to an “illegitimate group.” Click here to read more (external link).