Taliban Cuts Internet To Stop ‘Immoral Activities,’ Severs Afghanistan’s Connection To Outside World

Afghanistan went under a “total internet blackout” beginning on Monday as the Taliban seeks to stop “immoral activities” by cutting off the country’s access to the rest of the world.

Internet and phone services have been disrupted for the 43 million people living in the Middle Eastern country, as people living outside Afghanistan are concerned about contacting family members and coworkers still in the country, CNN reported. Multiple flights scheduled to land in Kabul on Tuesday morning were also canceled, and the Taliban’s leadership has yet to address the issue.

NetBlocks, a watchdog group that monitors internet outages around the world, said on Monday that 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.”

In an update on Tuesday morning, NetBlocks added, “It has now been 24 hours since #Afghanistan imposed a national internet blackout, cutting off residents from the rest of the world; the ongoing measure marks the Taliban’s return to conservative values it espoused a quarter of a century ago, limiting basic freedoms.”

⚠️ Update: It has now been 24 hours since #Afghanistan imposed a national internet blackout, cutting off residents from the rest of the world; the ongoing measure marks the Taliban’s return to conservative values it espoused a quarter of a century ago limiting basic freedoms pic.twitter.com/8g04yEi4Ht

— NetBlocks (@netblocks) September 30, 2025

A Taliban official reportedly spoke to The Washington Post on the condition of anonymity, saying that the internet shutdown had been discussed by the terror group for a week. The official added that the country could not survive without the internet and that “everything is at standstill at the moment.”

The Taliban’s move is the most severe action the regime has taken to cut off the country from the outside world since taking over in 2021. Taliban officials hinted at the tactic earlier this month, saying that it wanted “to prevent immoral activities,” according to CNN. Haji Zaid, the governor of northern Balkh province, said that an “alternative system will be established within the country for essential needs.”

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Along with disrupting communication between family members and colleagues, the internet shutdown also threatens to further hide the Taliban’s continued human rights abuses. Multiple American citizens who were held hostage by the Taliban were recently released, but at least one Afghan-American — Mahmood Habibi — is believed to still be in Taliban custody.

Since the Taliban took over the country following the United States’ withdrawal in 2021, the regime has also cracked down on women’s rights, banning girls from receiving secondary and higher education and forcing women out of jobs throughout the country.

“The silence online without Afghan voices from inside Afghanistan is deafening,” said Mariam Solaimankhil, who was a member of the Afghan government that was overthrown by the Taliban. “My heart hurts — our people are being cut off, and the world is left in darkness without them.”

Solaimankhil called on SpaceX owner Elon Musk to provide internet access to the country through his Starlink satellites. Starlink is currently exploring the expansion of its internet access to many countries in the Middle East, including Iran, Iraq, and Pakistan. However, there are no plans to provide service in Afghanistan, according to the company’s availability map.

“Starlink is the only way to break the chains of Taliban censorship,” she said. “This is the time where you stand on the right side of history.”