By Cutting the Internet, the Taliban Have Silenced Not Only the People but Also Themselves

image source: rfi.fr

The nationwide internet shutdown in Afghanistan, which began on Monday (September 29), has not only plunged people’s lives into darkness but also silenced the Taliban’s propaganda loudspeakers. The group that cut the cables to take away the people’s voice now finds itself stuck in the same darkness.

Since this digital blackout, the accounts of Taliban spokesmen on X, Telegram, and WhatsApp have been inactive. The last post of Zabihullah Mujahid, the Taliban spokesman, dates back to 29 September and has not been updated since. The accounts of ministries and even national radio and television remain in the same condition.

The Taliban’s WhatsApp channels used for distributing official messages have also been inactive since 5 p.m. on Monday. In this way, the Taliban have not only silenced the people but have also brought their own propaganda machine into silence.

This action by the Taliban has been outwardly justified in the name of “preventing moral corruption,” but in practice it has deprived millions of citizens of access to information, education, and communication with the world. Afghan girls and women, whose last window for education was online learning, have now lost even that limited opportunity.

The internet cutoff began on the order of the Taliban leader in Balkh and has now spread across the country. Taliban officials have so far given no official explanation. This situation is pushing Afghanistan into dangerous isolation, where people cannot make their voices heard by the world.

Civil activists say the international community must not allow Afghanistan to sink into absolute silence.