Taliban blame internet blackout on ‘decaying infrastructure’ as NGOs say ordinary Afghans suffering
Taliban denies reports of a nationwide internet ban
- The Taliban government has denied implementing a nationwide internet ban in Afghanistan, attributing a recent widespread outage to "decaying fibre optic infrastructure".
- Chief spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid dismissed reports of a ban as "rumours", stating the government was replacing the faulty infrastructure.
- The internet blackout, first reported by NetBlocks on Monday evening, persisted for over 48 hours, causing confusion among officials and cutting off communication.
- Humanitarian organisations and rights groups, including Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International, condemned the shutdown, highlighting its severe impact on aid delivery, education, commerce, and access to essential services, particularly for women and girls.
- The outage followed earlier instances where Taliban officials in some provinces had cut broadband internet, reportedly to curb "immorality".