Afghanistan on the Verge of a “Digital Prison”; Taliban Extend Internet Shutdown to Kunduz and Takhar
- Zan News
- Sep 17
- 2 min read
The Taliban have extended restrictions on internet services beyond Balkh and Badakhshan, and now to the provinces of Kunduz and Takhar. Local sources in these two provinces confirm that, at the order of the Taliban governors, access to fiber optic internet has been completely suspended and all service providers have been forced to disconnect users.
Residents of Kunduz and Takhar say that since Tuesday (September 16), they no longer have access to home and office Wi-Fi, and the only remaining option is to use mobile data.
At the same time, Taliban officials in Nangarhar have also announced that fiber optic internet will soon be blocked in this province and other eastern regions. Qureshi Badlon, Head of Information at the Taliban’s Department of Information and Culture in Nangarhar, said this decision was made at the order of the Taliban leader to “prevent moral corruption” and “reform society.”
Sources in Laghman have also reported a sharp decline in internet speed and are concerned that similar restrictions may be imposed in that province as well.
So far, fiber optic internet has been completely blocked in the provinces of Balkh, Badakhshan, Kandahar, Helmand, Kunduz, and Takhar, and there are signs that this policy will be extended to other provinces.
Sources to Zan News: Taliban Seeking “Selective Internet”
Well-informed sources told Zan News that the Taliban have a multi-stage plan to restrict internet access across Afghanistan. In the first stage, all Wi-Fi, fiber optic, and DSL services are suspended. The next step will target mobile networks, where only individuals with a “special permit” from the Taliban will be granted very limited access to the internet, mainly WhatsApp.
A source in one of the telecommunications companies in Herat also confirmed that in a recent meeting of the ATRA department, an order was issued for the complete shutdown of fiber optic and DSL services. According to him, only WhatsApp will remain active for domestic users, and only for those who have work or trade abroad and succeed in obtaining a permit from the Taliban.
Afghanistan on the Verge of a “Digital Prison”
The Taliban have repeatedly called the internet the “root of immorality” and a “means of corruption,” but in reality, this policy is part of a broader strategy to control the flow of information and silence the voice of society.
Cutting the internet, in addition to depriving people of online education, banking services, and daily communications, serves as a tool to prevent media coverage of protests and to conceal human rights violations. The experience of September 2021, in the early days of the Taliban’s return to power, showed that the group deliberately cut internet access in Kabul, especially in non-Pashtun areas, to prevent civil organization and public protests.
This trend is pushing Afghanistan toward a “digital prison,” a situation that threatens not only freedom of expression but also the education, economy, and social life of millions of citizens, especially women and children.
