Internet and phone outage update
Mullah Hibatullah ordered a nationwide shutdown of fiber-optic internet on Monday, September 29, at 5 p.m., cutting Afghanistan completely offline. Mobile data and cellphone services have also been disabled, leaving millions unable to communicate domestically or internationally. Afghans abroad cannot connect with families, and activists, aid workers, educators, and medical professionals have lost all access to local staff, students, and patients. Only limited satellite connections remain, and even Afghan news outlets have been forced off air.
We have been unable to reach contacts in Kabul, Herat, Mazar, Uruzgan, Nangarhar, Badakhshan, and Paktika. Some reports suggest calls are still possible near borders using Iranian or Tajik SIM cards, but these are rare.
The blackout has disrupted daily life nationwide. Air travel has been heavily impacted, with flights to and from Kabul, including routes to Dubai, canceled. Banking systems have been paralyzed, cutting links between the central bank and private banks, halting ATM services, and slowing currency trading at Kabul’s Sarai Shahzada exchange, which continues operations but only at outdated rates. Crowds have gathered at banks to withdraw cash amid uncertainty.
Hospitals, businesses, and government services reliant on digital infrastructure are struggling to function, while customs and cross-border trade have been further hit by the closure of the Torkham crossing with Pakistan, though it appears deportations from Pakistan have continued.
Diplomatic officials in Kabul told The Washington Post that the Taliban offered no warning and said the blackout would continue “until further notice.” The move eliminates one of the few lifelines left for women pursuing education online after being banned from universities.
There is widespread speculation regarding the timing and reasoning behind the blackout—including security concerns, internal Taliban disputes, or pressure tactics—but none of these theories have been confirmed.
The unprecedented communication blackout has raised alarm that Afghanistan is sliding into deeper economic paralysis and global isolation, with fears mounting of long-term humanitarian and political consequences.