The Taliban has cut off fiber optic internet cables in several regions, which is a big blow to digital connectivity in Afghanistan. The decision, which came straight from Supreme Leader Hibatullah Akhundzada, has left tens of thousands of people without high-speed internet. This has raised worries about more control and a big hit to the economy.
Provincial spokesman Attaullah Zaid said that the leader ordered a blanket ban on fiber optic internet in the northern province of Balkh. Zaid said on X, “This step was taken to stop vice, and other options will be made available across the country to meet connectivity needs.”
But these “alternative options” are still not clear. Internet service has been inconsistent or almost nonexistent in the provinces that have been affected. These include Balkh, Badakhshan, and Takhar in the north, and Kandahar, Helmand, and Uruzgan in the south. A media person in the area said that the only way to get online in Balkh is through a broken phone network.
People and business owners who depend on the internet for their jobs are astonished by the change. Atta Mohammed, a marble contractor in Kandahar, said he was worried and said, “If these connection problems aren’t fixed, we will lose a lot of money.” We won’t be able to keep doing business if we don’t answer emails from our clients in Dubai and India on time. I haven’t gotten any sleep.
An executive from a private company in Kabul said that fibre optic is the most common type of internet technology in Afghanistan. Access is still available in provinces like Nangarhar for now, but officials there have said that a nationwide closure is planned for the next few days. Badloun, a Taliban official, said in a statement that “online applications have hurt the economic, social, cultural, and religious foundations of society and led it toward moral corruption.”
Many people see this move as part of a larger plan to limit the flow of information and communication, which is how the Taliban sees Sharia law. The dictatorship has put stringent rules on women and the media since seizing back power in 2021, and this new policy is aimed at internet places as well.