Taliban denies reports of a nationwide internet ban

Stay up to date with notifications from The IndependentNotifications can be managed in browser preferences.Jump to contentThank you for registeringPlease refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged inAllNewsSportCultureLifestyleThe Taliban government has denied implementing a nationwide internet ban in Afghanistan, attributing a recent widespread outage to "decaying fibre optic infrastructure". Chief spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid dismissed reports of a ban as "rumours", stating the government was replacing the faulty infrastructure. The internet blackout, first reported by NetBlocks on Monday evening, persisted for over 48 hours, causing confusion among officials and cutting off communication. Humanitarian organisations and rights groups, including Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International, condemned the shutdown, highlighting its severe impact on aid delivery, education, commerce, and access to essential services, particularly for women and girls. The outage followed earlier instances where Taliban officials in some provinces had cut broadband internet, reportedly to curb "immorality". In fullTaliban blame internet blackout on ‘decaying infrastructure’ as NGOs say ordinary Afghans sufferingThank you for registeringPlease refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in

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