Afghanistan Taliban Extend Crackdown On Internet Access

Afghanistan's Taliban authorities expanded their crackdown on internet access Wednesday, severing fibre optic connections in multiple provinces in what officials said was a campaign against "vice".

The move, ordered by Taliban Supreme Leader Hibatullah Akhundzada, has effectively shut down high-speed internet in several regions over two days, leaving tens of thousands without access and sparking concern among locals.

In northern Balkh province, fibre optic internet was completely banned on the leader's orders, provincial spokesman Attaullah Zaid said Tuesday.

"This measure was taken to prevent vice, and alternative options will be put in place across the country to meet connectivity needs," he wrote on X.

An AFP correspondent confirmed that internet access in Balkh was now only possible via the telephone network, which is disrupted with all operators affected.

AFP correspondents reported the same restrictions in the northern provinces of Badakhshan and Takhar, as well as in Kandahar, Helmand, Nangarhar and Uruzgan in the south.

Government spokespersons and the telecommunications ministry did not immediately respond to AFP's requests for comment.

Fibre optic is the most widely used technology in Afghanistan, an employee of a private operator in Kabul told AFP on condition of anonymity, adding that he was unaware of the reasons behind the measure.

"If these connection problems are not resolved, we will suffer great losses," said Atta Mohammed, a marble contractor in Kandahar. 

"If we don't respond to emails from our clients in Dubai and India on time, we won't be able to continue our business. I haven't slept a wink."

Nangarhar provincial spokesman Qureshi Badloun said he expects nationwide implementation "in the coming days".

"Recent studies conducted in Afghanistan show that online applications have negatively affected the economic, social, cultural, and religious foundations of society and led it towards moral corruption," Badloun said in a statement released Tuesday.

In 2024, Kabul had touted the 9,350-kilometre fibre optic network -- largely built by former US-backed governments -- as a "priority" to bring the country closer to the rest of the world and lift it out of poverty.

Since regaining power in 2021, the Taliban have instituted numerous restrictions in accordance with their interpretation of Islamic law.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)