Taliban cut off internet in Afghanistan: Why women will be the most impacted

Afghanistan has been plunged into near-total digital darkness as the Taliban enforce a sweeping internet blackout, cutting off both wired and mobile services across the country.

What began as regional restrictions earlier in September has now escalated into a nationwide shutdown, leaving millions without access to essential online services.

The Taliban claim the move is aimed at curbing “vice” and preventing what they describe as “immoral activities.”

However, the blackout is severely disrupting daily life, crippling businesses, and cutting off vital communication channels.

The effects are being felt most acutely by Afghan women, who rely heavily on online platforms for work, education, and connection to the outside world amid the group’s strict social restrictions.

How the internet blackout began

The internet shutdown began on September 15, when Taliban authorities in several northern provinces ordered high-speed fibre-optic services to be disabled.

The first affected areas included Balkh, Kunduz, Badakhshan, Takhar, and Baghlan.

Soon after, reports of disruptions emerged from other provinces, including Kandahar, Helmand, Nangarhar, Uruzgan, Herat, and Parwan, though not all were officially confirmed by local officials.

On September 16, Attaullah Zaid, spokesperson for the Balkh provincial government, publicly confirmed the measure. Posting on social media, he stated that the decision to halt fiber-optic services was taken under direct orders from provincial leaders.

“This measure was taken to prevent vice, and alternative options will be put in place across the country to meet connectivity needs,” Zaid said.

The restrictions initially focused solely on wired broadband, allowing mobile networks to continue operating.

However, this began to change toward the end of this month. On September 29, both wired and mobile internet services were switched off across the country at approximately 5 pm local time.

According to real-time monitoring data collected by Netblocks and Kentik, two independent internet traffic analysis organisations, connectivity dropped sharply to just 14 per cent of typical levels, indicating a near-total shutdown.

“A nationwide telecoms blackout is now in effect,” Netblocks confirmed in a statement, describing the disruption as consistent with an intentional and centrally coordinated disconnection.

Afghanistan’s internet infrastructure is largely built on a national fibre-optic network stretching approximately 9,350 kilometres.

This system was developed with support from international donors and previous governments as part of a broader plan to modernise the country’s telecommunications sector.

Afghan Telecom, a state-owned enterprise, controls this network, while private mobile carriers and internet providers rely on it to deliver services.

By physically cutting access to the fibre lines, the Taliban have effectively severed both internet and telephone services. In many parts of Afghanistan, especially rural areas with limited infrastructure, mobile and fixed-line phone calls are routed through the same fiber backbone.

Netblocks noted that disabling internet access without disrupting voice calls entirely would require technical adjustments that have not yet been made.

“Physically pulling the plug on fibre internet would therefore also shut down mobile and fixed-line telephone services,” Netblocks explained.

“It may turn out that disconnecting internet access while keeping phone service available will take some trial and error.”

How Taliban has ‘justified’ the move

Taliban officials have repeatedly justified the blackout by citing concerns over morality.

Their official statements describe the measure as an effort to curb behaviours they view as un-Islamic, such as pornography and private online interactions between men and women.

Haji Zaid, a spokesperson for the governor of Balkh, reiterated this position in a recent statement, “A complete ban has been imposed on fibre-optic cable … This action has been taken to prevent immoral activities, and an alternative solution will be developed within the country to meet necessary needs.”

Similar statements were issued by provincial media offices in Kunduz and other affected regions. However, no comprehensive explanation has been provided by national authorities.

The Ministry of Communications in Kabul has not responded to inquiries from journalists and international organisations seeking further details.

The Taliban’s reasoning echoes past actions where morality was cited to justify restrictive policies. Over the past four years, the group has rolled out a series of severe measures aimed primarily at women and girls, often under the banner of “virtue” and “prevention of vice.”

These include bans on women’s education beyond sixth grade, prohibitions on their participation in most forms of employment, and strict dress code requirements.

In August 2024, these policies were codified into law through the enactment of the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice Law. Among its provisions, Article 13 mandated that women must fully cover their bodies and faces in public.

It also declared a woman’s voice to be intimate, barring her from singing, reciting, or speaking loudly in public spaces. The law further prohibited women from making eye contact with unrelated men and vice versa.

How this will impact businesses and the economy

The sudden blackout has had a severe economic impact, particularly for small businesses that depend on internet access to operate.

With both broadband and mobile networks disrupted, many entrepreneurs are unable to communicate with customers, process orders, or make payments.

In Kandahar, a group of women artisans led by Sabrinna Hayat runs Hayat Handicrafts, which produces traditional embroidered garments such as firaq partug, a long dress worn by Afghan women.

Before the shutdown, the group relied on stable fiber-optic connections to receive orders from clients across Afghanistan and internationally.

Now, without access to broadband, Hayat has been forced to rely on expensive mobile data packages. “The outage has tripled our internet costs,” she told Reuters.

The additional expense is unsustainable, threatening to collapse the small cooperative and the livelihoods of nine women breadwinners who rely on the work to support their families.

Elsewhere in Kandahar, another tailor, identified only as Dawrani, reported that her workshop, which employs widows and vulnerable women, has been devastated by the lack of connectivity.

“If I cannot even earn this small piece of bread, I will be forced to leave this country,” she told Reuters.

Beyond small businesses, the shutdown is affecting larger segments of Afghanistan’s economy. Government offices, banks, and NGOs rely on internet services for daily operations. With connections severed, many administrative functions have ground to a halt.

Afghanistan’s digital infrastructure had seen notable growth over the past decade. By 2023, World Bank data indicated that 18 per cent of the population used the internet, and there were 56 mobile phone subscriptions per 100 people.

The expansion of 4G networks had brought connectivity to previously underserved areas, creating new opportunities for commerce and communication.

This progress has now been reversed almost overnight.

Analysts warn that the blackout will further isolate Afghanistan from global markets and discourage foreign investment at a time when the country’s economy is already under severe strain following years of conflict and international sanctions.

How women face the harshest consequences

While the entire population is affected, women are bearing the brunt of the shutdown. Since 2021, successive Taliban decrees have systematically removed women from public life.

Many women who lost their jobs due to these policies turned to online work as their last remaining source of income.

Maryam, an online interpreter living in Mazar-e-Sharif, described the challenges she now faces. “We have faced many problems due to the Internet shutdown,” she RFE/RL’s Radio Azadi.

“I’m the breadwinner of my family.”

Similarly, Soraya, who works remotely for a foreign organisation from Kabul, explained how the blackout has jeopardised her ability to support herself.

“As an Afghan woman, life is already very difficult for us. The only way we can earn an income and support ourselves and our families under these conditions is through online work,” she told Radio Azadi.

“The internet shutdowns have made life more difficult for us, and I’m afraid that I will lose this last hope and my job.”

Education is another area where women have been severely impacted. With secondary schools and universities closed to female students, many young women and girls had turned to online courses to continue their studies.

This fragile alternative has now been cut off entirely.

Dawrani, the tailor from Kandahar, noted that her daughters had been taking online English classes before the shutdown. With no access to the internet, they have been forced to abandon their studies.

“Through this tailoring work, I managed to put food on the table. Without internet, even that may disappear,” she said.

Digital rights advocates argue that the Taliban’s moral justification is a cover for broader efforts to control the population and suppress dissent.

Kabul-based academic Obaidullah Baheer highlighted this point, stating, “It shows a very anti-modern version of the Taliban. Seems like their fight is against modernity and they’re fitting the bill of people who used to call them draconian.”

How Taliban has been purging human rights

The Taliban have a long history of restricting access to technology and information. During their previous rule from 1996 to 2001, the internet was entirely banned.

After being overthrown, they regularly targeted cell towers during the insurgency to disrupt communication. Mobile providers like MTN were eventually forced to leave the country due to persistent attacks and restrictions.

In the final months of the war leading up to August 2021, the Taliban imposed localised internet shutdowns to stifle resistance. After capturing Kabul, they briefly cut off internet access in the capital to prevent protests.

Since returning to power, they have systematically blocked access to news websites critical of their rule and to online content they deem inappropriate.

The current blackout, however, marks a significant escalation, as it represents the first nationwide disruption under the Taliban’s renewed rule.

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Global watchdogs warn that such actions violate fundamental human rights. The internet is now considered essential for freedom of expression, access to information, and the ability to organize peacefully.

According to Access Now, a non-governmental organisation focused on digital rights, 2024 saw a record 296 internet shutdowns in 54 countries, up from 283 shutdowns in 39 countries the previous year.

Several of these shutdowns continued into 2025.

In Afghanistan, the stakes are even higher. With traditional media heavily censored and international journalists largely absent, online platforms have become a vital source of independent news.

Experts say the current shutdown follows a familiar pattern in how the Taliban implement policies.

By the end of this month, even senior Taliban officials have reportedly found themselves disconnected. Prominent Taliban figures with large followings on social media platforms fell silent as their WhatsApp accounts went offline.

With inputs from agencies