Afghans globally are in despair as they struggle to connect with family back home following a Taliban-imposed internet blackout that began on Monday.
According to Internet governance monitor Netblocks, Afghanistan’s internet is now functioning at less than one percent of its usual capacity after the Taliban authorities initiated a blackout set to last “until further notice”.
This blackout exacerbates conditions in one of the world’s poorest nations, already suffering from prolonged conflict, humanitarian crises, and a recent earthquake.
The shutdown is equally distressing for Afghans abroad, many of whom are forcibly displaced and concerned about their family’s safety.
“My mother, my sisters, and my brothers are in Afghanistan. I tried calling them 20 or 10 times a day, but couldn’t reach them,” said Mehdi, a 29-year-old Afghan working in a restaurant in Pakistan.
“I don’t know how they are surviving,” he shared, noting that on top of losing basic communication, he’s unable to send financial support back home.
– ‘The entire family is anxious’ –
The Taliban’s supreme leader Hibatullah Akhundzada ordered the blackout to combat what they deem “vice”.
This shutdown will restrict social media, prevent women from bypassing educational bans via online programs, censor media, and hinder people like Mehdi from financially assisting their families through remittances.
The United Nations has flagged a “very dire situation” with “serious human rights implications”.
“The entire family is anxious,” Nooriya Qaderi, a 59-year-old Afghan refugee in New Delhi, expressed. “Due to these issues, I can’t communicate with my family… everyone is worried.”
Khwaja Zamiruddin, a 34-year-old restaurant manager in New Delhi, is also troubled about his mother’s uncertain situation back home.
“We can’t communicate… and sending money has become increasingly difficult,” he reported.
“There are numerous challenges. No one knows how long this blackout will continue.”
At the start of 2025, 13.2 million people, about 30.5% of Afghanistan’s population, had internet access, with 4.05 million social media users, according to DataReportal.
Rahimullah Habiboghli, who moved to France alone five years ago, has been unable to contact his family since the blackout.
“I can’t believe this. It can’t last. No country is entirely cut off from the internet,” he said.
Habiboghli, who founded an association supporting education in Afghanistan, regularly sends funds back home—a process now uncertain.
In 2024, Kabul highlighted its 9,350-kilometer fiber optic network, largely established by former US-backed governments, as a “priority” to connect Afghanistan with the world and alleviate poverty.
“They aim to keep their people in the dark, preventing them from seeing the world to retain power while keeping the population unfree,” Habiboghli stated.
