Afghanistan’s Islamist Taliban authorities have ordered a nationwide shutdown of the country’s fiber optic internet “until further notice,” according to a government source who spoke with French news agency AFP on the condition of anonymity.
The move represents the first nationwide shutdown of the internet in Afghanistan and will result in a “comprehensive, total blackout,” according to London-based internet and cybersecurity watchdog NetBlocks.
Speaking before the shutdown, the unnamed government source told AFP, “There isn’t any other way or system to communicate… the banking sector, customs, everything across the country will be affected.”
It is unclear at this point just how hard telephone and cellular connections will be hit but AFP said it had lost phone contact with its Kabul bureau on Monday around 5:45 p.m. (1345 GMT).
Speaking with AFP, internet-access advocacy group NetBlocks said that phone communications in Afghanistan are largely routed through the country’s fiber optic network, hence, “Physically pulling the plug on fiber internet would therefore also shut down mobile and fixed-line telephone services.”
On Monday, NetBlocks posted updates on social media reading: “Afghanistan is now in the midst of a total internet blackout as Taliban authorities move to implement morality measures, with multiple networks disconnected through the morning in a stepwise manner; telephone services are currently also impacted.”
