Afghanistan still completely offline: Dramatic warning from the United Nations
Two days after the Taliban paralysed the internet throughout Afghanistan, the reasons behind the attack remain unclear. The United Nations is calling for an end.
View over Kabul
(Image: Wandel Guides/Shutterstock)
Afghanistan is still completely offline on Wednesday, with data from Cloudflare, Google, and various monitoring centers showing no change in the situation. The United Nations has meanwhile warned that the total internet blockade could result in “significant harm to the Afghan population” and further exacerbate one of the world's worst humanitarian crises. The BBC reports that all operations at the airport in the capital, Kabul, have been suspended and are not expected to resume until Thursday at the earliest. A source told the British news channel that life there appeared normal but that no communication was possible anywhere in the country.
(Image:Â Google)
The radical Islamic Taliban ruling Afghanistan had all internet connections cut on Monday evening local time; according to Cloudflare, only one provider is registering extremely low traffic. The move was preceded by interruptions to the fiber optic connections, which had already caused considerable disruption. There is still no justification for the drastic steps; one province merely stated that the capping of the fiber optic lines was intended to "prevent immorality." Independent sources said that this would block criticism and preempt any protests. There were also warnings that the move could initiate far-reaching repressive measures that would not be monitored internationally.
No more communication in the country
According to the BBC, some banks in Afghanistan are still open, but because many people are trying to withdraw money, little of it can be spent. In at least one province, however, the banks are already closed. The Afghan news portal Tolo News has not published any articles on its homepage since Monday. News is only available via the site's social media accounts. International news agencies report that they have lost contact with some of their offices in the country. Communication with the outside world is still possible via satellite connections, for example.
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The United Nations has called on the regime in Afghanistan to restore access to the internet and telecommunications services immediately and completely. Such a blockade would have far-reaching consequences, for example, for banking and finance, medical care, transport, and access to remittances from abroad for people who depend on them. In the case of Afghanistan, the move would also further isolate women and girls, who would not be able to move freely in public. Considering natural disasters such as the devastating earthquake in the east of the country at the beginning of August, the UN mission for Afghanistan also points out that such blockades have been proven to endanger human lives.
(mho)
