Afghanistan’s Digital Blackout: What Happened?
On Monday, September 29, 2025, Afghanistan experienced a near-total internet shutdown—halting both mobile and wired connectivity across all 34 provinces. Internet monitoring groups Netblocks and Kentik, along with Proton VPN, confirmed the outage began abruptly at 5 p.m. local time.
Why Did the Taliban Cut the Internet?
The Taliban have not issued an official statement, but this blackout follows a partial shutdown just two weeks prior, when internet access was suspended in over six provinces. At that time, authorities cited the need to prevent “immoral acts” and curb “misuse of the internet.”
Now, with both mobile and fiber services severed—and even telephone lines disrupted—millions of Afghans are cut off from education, business, and communication tools like WhatsApp, which is widely used even by government employees.
Infographic: Internet in Afghanistan – By the Numbers
| Metric | Value (as of 2023) |
|---|---|
| Internet Users | 18% of population |
| Mobile Subscriptions | 56 per 100 people |
| Provinces Affected (Initial Shutdown) | 6+ |
| Provinces Affected (Nationwide Blackout) | 34 (all) |
Who’s Most Affected?
- Girls and young women: Rely on online courses to bypass the Taliban’s ban on education beyond sixth grade.
- Small business owners: Depend on digital platforms for sales, payments, and supply chains.
- Journalists and activists: Already operate under severe censorship; now completely silenced.
- Government workers: Use WhatsApp for daily coordination—now inaccessible.
Historical Context: A Pattern of Digital Suppression
During their insurgency, the Taliban routinely targeted cell towers and forced telecom giants like MTN to exit the country. After seizing Kabul in August 2021, they imposed localized blackouts to suppress protests. Now, the nationwide cutoff suggests a deepening strategy of information control.
Ironically, top Taliban officials maintain active social media accounts with tens or even hundreds of thousands of followers—yet their WhatsApp channels fell silent during the blackout, underscoring the regime’s selective use of digital tools.
What’s Next?
Analysts warn this could further cripple Afghanistan’s fragile economy and isolate its population. International watchdogs are calling for urgent transparency, but with no official comment from the Taliban, the digital silence continues.
