Taliban’s Internet Shutdown Pushes Afghanistan Into Crisis
Zalmay Khalilzad leads US delegation in talk with the Taliban in Kabul (Image credit X.com)
As Taliban bans internet nationwide, citing “immorality” concerns, aviation, banking, healthcare, education, and remittances collapse in Afghanistan.
By TRH Global Affairs Desk
NEW DELHI, October 1, 2025 — Afghanistan has been thrown into chaos after the Taliban abruptly shut down the internet nationwide, a move that has paralyzed everything from aviation to healthcare and banking. The blackout, which has now entered its second day, has drawn sharp condemnation from diplomats, Afghan activists, and international agencies who warn that the measure could deepen the country’s isolation and worsen its humanitarian collapse.
US envoy Zalmay Khalilzad, writing on X, described the Taliban’s decision as “bad news from Afghanistan” and a “self-inflicted crisis.” He warned of the cascading disruptions: halted flights, banking paralysis, blocked remittances, breakdowns in healthcare operations, and a total freeze in communication. “This decision does the opposite of Islam’s duty to remove hardship. It makes lives harder,” Khalilzad said, urging the Taliban to immediately review and reverse the ban.
The situation has already exacted heavy costs. Kabul International Airport suspended all flights, with Ariana Afghan Airlines and Kam Air cancelling services to Dubai and Istanbul. flydubai also grounded operations between Dubai and Kabul, citing the communications blackout. Aviation experts have warned that attempts to operate “manually” without internet coordination could be a safety hazard.
The financial system, already crippled by sanctions, is now in freefall. Millions of Afghans who depend on remittances from relatives abroad face severe delays as electronic transfers grind to a halt. Small businesses, trade, and media broadcasting are all frozen. Hospitals, which rely on digital systems for operations and procurement, report severe disruption.
Behind the decision, sources point to the Taliban leadership in Kandahar citing concerns about “immorality” online—particularly pornography. Critics call the move a drastic overreaction, noting that content filters, not total shutdowns, are the norm even in conservative countries. A leaked Taliban audio order reportedly instructs forces to arrest anyone using Starlink or satellite internet, underlining the group’s determination to enforce the blackout.
For Afghan women and girls, who had already been barred from public life and relied heavily on online platforms for education, the consequences are devastating. Journalist Nazeela Elm warned: “Women I interviewed months ago feared this day. Now their fears have come true.” The UN Human Rights Office called the shutdown “extremely serious,” noting that it curtails access to essential services from health to education and banking, and disproportionately impacts women.
Former Afghan general Sami Sadat was even more blunt: “The Taliban have killed every function of life connected to the internet. This is repression and tyranny unchecked. No country should establish ties with them. The Taliban are pure evil.”
The blackout is more than a communications crisis—it is a symbolic retreat into the Taliban’s past. NetBlocks, a global watchdog, noted the shutdown mirrors the conservative isolationist policies the Taliban pursued in the 1990s, when Afghanistan was digitally and diplomatically cut off from the world.
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