A nationwide telecoms shutdown has been imposed in Afghanistan, as part of a Taliban crackdown on “immoral activities”.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.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4The terrifying spectre of an internet shutdown in Afghanistanlist 2 of 4Afghanistan bans female authors from university curriculalist 3 of 4Taliban releases US citizen after Qatari mediationlist 4 of 4Afghanistan’s Bagram airbase: Why is Trump desperate to take it back?end of listConnectivity 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,” the group added.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.Which telecoms services are being restricted?Earlier this month, the Taliban began to close down internet services. On September 16, the Balkh provincial spokesperson stated that fibre-optic internet had been completely banned in the northern province.“This measure was taken to prevent vice,” he wrote on social media. At about the same time, restrictions were also reported in the northern provinces of Badakhshan and Takhar, as well as in Kandahar, Helmand, and Nangarhar in the south.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 TOLOnews 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.What is likely to be worst-affected?Internet and communicationsTolo warned viewers of disruption to its news services and added that the shutdown would affect its own internal operations.Elsewhere, both The Associated Press (AP) and AFP news agencies said they were unable to contact their bureaus in the capital city, Kabul.On Tuesday, Al Jazeera attempted to contact people in Kunar, Jalalabad and Kabul by WhatsApp and by phone from outside Afghanistan, but no messages or calls got through.Afghan citizens living abroad, such as rights activist and journalist Nilofar Ayoubi, report that they have been unable to communicate with family members.