Afghans poured into the streets of Kabul and other cities on Wednesday evening to celebrate the restoration of internet and telecom services after a 48-hour nationwide shutdown ordered by the Taliban government. The blackout had crippled daily life, drawing widespread international condemnation and raising fears of further isolation.
Local reporters confirmed that communications were resuming, with internet monitor Netblocks noting a “partial restoration” of connectivity. A government source told BBC Afghan that the Taliban prime minister had ordered services back online. Senior Taliban spokesman Suhail Shaheen later said that “all communications” were restored by Wednesday afternoon.
The outage had disrupted businesses, banking, and international money transfers, while also grounding flights and cutting off access to emergency services. The UN warned the shutdown risked worsening Afghanistan’s humanitarian crisis by undermining economic stability and severing vital communication lifelines.
The ban also hit women especially hard, as internet access had been one of the few remaining ways to connect with the outside world after bans on education for girls over 12 and severe restrictions on women’s employment. “When I spoke to my mum, I cried,” said Mah, a 24-year-old Afghan woman studying in the UK. “At least I can hear her voice.”
Despite the hardship, the restoration sparked jubilant scenes. “Everyone is happy, holding their cell phones and talking to their relatives,” one Kabul resident said. Delivery driver Sohrab Ahmadi compared the moment to a festival: “It’s like Eid al-Adha; we are very happy from the bottom of our hearts.”
The Taliban has not explained the reason for the blackout, though officials in the northern province of Balkh previously suggested internet access could be restricted to “prevent vices.” For now, Afghans are seizing the chance to reconnect after two days of silence.
