Afghans took to the streets to celebrate the restoration of internet access after a nearly two-day nationwide shutdown, BBC reports.
Local journalists confirmed the return of connectivity, while monitoring group NetBlocks noted a “partial restoration” of the internet. In Kabul, hundreds of people reportedly gathered to mark the occasion. “Everyone is happy, holding their phones and speaking with loved ones,” one Afghan told the BBC.
On September 30, internet access was cut off across Afghanistan. Earlier, the Taliban authorities, who have ruled the country since 2021, had justified a local outage in one province as a measure to “prevent immorality.” However, no official explanation was given for the full nationwide shutdown. Sources close to the Afghan government told the BBC that the internet was restored on the personal order of Prime Minister Hasan Akhund.
The blackout had a paralyzing effect: banks closed, shopping centers emptied, delivery services stopped operating, and flights were suspended. The UN warned that cutting Afghanistan off from the internet had “almost completely severed the country from the outside world,” threatening economic stability and deepening what it called one of the world’s most severe humanitarian crises.
CentralasianLIGHT.org
October 2, 2025