"Total internet blockade": All of Afghanistan completely offline since Monday
Days after many fibre optic connections were cut in Afghanistan, the country has now apparently gone completely offline. The reasons behind this are unclear.
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The ruling Taliban have apparently cut all internet connections in Afghanistan, and the country is experiencing a total blackout, explains Netblocks. According to observations, the extensive closures go beyond the cutting of fiber optic connections that took place last week. According to the BBC, international news agencies have lost contact with their offices in the Afghan capital Kabul, and mobile internet and satellite television are also being disrupted. The dpa was unable to get through to any local contacts. Even air traffic has been affected; according to Flightradar24, several take-offs have been cancelled. According to the report, the Taliban have not yet given any official reasons for this drastic step.
Just a few days ago, the radical Islamic Taliban began blocking fiber optic connections in large parts of the country; numerous provinces had already gone offline in the process. A spokesperson for the northern province of Balch explained that the aim was to “prevent immorality” without elaborating further. However, experts believed that the rulers' aim was to block criticism and pre-empt any protests. Deutsche Welle quotes a security expert as saying that the move marked the beginning of a far-reaching repressive measure that will not be observed internationally.
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According to the BBC, the connections were closed in the evening, which is why many people on the ground only realized this on Tuesday morning. Contacted diplomats added that the closures would affect the financial sector and e-commerce nationwide. Mobile internet was not impacted by the fiber optic closures a few days ago, but it is expensive and slow there. Netblocks has already pointed out that these initial internet restrictions have already impacted women and girls in particular, who have long been unable to move freely in public and have had to switch to the internet for lessons, for example. The consequences of the total blockade are now likely to be far more severe.
(mho)
