The Taliban’s nationwide internet blackout is depriving millions of Afghans of education, healthcare, commerce and access to information, Human Rights Watch said Wednesday, warning that the restrictions are worsening an already dire humanitarian crisis.
The shutdowns began in mid-September in several northern provinces after Taliban officials claimed they were blocking fiber-optic access to prevent “immoral behavior.” By Sept. 29, the blackout had reached the capital, Kabul, cutting both fiber and mobile networks. Internet watchdogs reported that by Sept. 30 connectivity had collapsed nationwide.
“The Taliban’s moves to cut internet access harms the livelihoods of millions of Afghans and deprives them of their basic rights to education, health care, and access to information,” said Fereshta Abbasi, an Afghanistan researcher at Human Rights Watch. “The Taliban should drop its baseless rationales and end these shutdowns.”
The blackout has forced airlines to cancel flights to and from Kabul and disrupted businesses, aid groups and media outlets. Journalists reported being unable to place calls inside or outside the country, and platforms such as WhatsApp and Signal have also been blocked. Humanitarian agencies said the outage threatens life-saving operations that depend on connectivity for coordination and delivery.
Students have been hit particularly hard. Abbasi said women and girls, already barred from secondary and higher education by the Taliban, have lost one of their last avenues to learn. In one online university course, only nine of 28 students were able to join after the shutdown began, including just a fraction of the 18 women enrolled.
Human Rights Watch said the restrictions further isolate Afghan women and girls, limiting their access to jobs, services and vital information. Activists warned that women-led initiatives providing community support are especially affected.
The United Nations human rights office has previously called internet access an essential enabler of freedom of expression, political participation and public safety, urging governments to refrain from shutdowns.
“Afghans were already isolated from the world but now they are completely cut off,” Abbasi said. “The longer the Taliban internet shutdowns continue, the more harmful the consequences for both the people and the country.”
