Kabul [Afghanistan] October 1 : A nationwide telecoms shutdown has been imposed in Afghanistan, as part of a Taliban crackdown on "immoral activities," Al Jazeera reported.
Netblocks, a global internet watchdog, said on Monday that multiple networks in Afghanistan had been disconnected. Telephone services had also been limited, resulting in what Netblocks described as a "total internet blackout" in the nation of 43 million people, as per Al Jazeera.
Connectivity was cut in phases on Monday, with the final stage affecting telephone services. In the past, the Taliban have voiced concern about online pornography. And earlier this month, authorities cut fibre-optic links to some provinces, with officials citing morality concerns.
"The incident is likely to severely limit the public's ability to contact the outside world," Taliban said, as quoted by Al Jazeera.
This is the first time that the whole of Afghanistan has faced an internet blackout under the hardline Islamist government. It risks cutting off the country, which is in desperate need of humanitarian assistance, just weeks after a devastating, magnitude-6 earthquake in the east of the country.
Cloudflare Radar - an international internet traffic monitor - said Kabul had suffered the sharpest municipal drop in internet connectivity, followed by the western city of Herat, and Kandahar in the south.
On Monday, online TV channel TOLO News reported that the authorities had set a one-week deadline for the shutdown of 3G and 4G internet services for all mobile phones, leaving only the 2G mobile network active.
Telephone services have also been compromised, as they are routed over the internet and share the same fibre-optic cables.
Al Jazeera quoted its sources and said that the Taliban said on Monday that the fibre-optic network it relies on for operations would be shut down. "Eight to nine thousand telecommunications pillars" would be shut down, he said, adding that the blackout would last "until further notice".
Since seizing power in 2021, the Taliban has imposed numerous restrictions on society in line with its strict interpretation of Islamic law. But strictures ordered by the leadership, based in Kandahar, have grown increasingly hardline recently.
Authorities banned Afghan women working for the United Nations from entering its offices in September. This follows prohibitions on women in numerous jobs, while girls were prohibited from attending high school in 2021. Women are now also banned from higher education.
Many women and girls have since relied on online classes provided by educators abroad or by charitable organisations. This latest clampdown on the internet means these opportunities are now also under threat, as per Al Jazeera.
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