For nearly 48 hours, Afghanistan was plunged into confusion and chaos after the Taliban government imposed a nationwide telecommunications blackout.
The restoration of cell phone and Internet services on October 1 was met with widespread relief and anger, with Afghans recalling how their lives were abruptly upended.
“These two days felt unreal, and I felt like I was having a bad dream,” said a businessman in the southern province of Kandahar.
“It had a massive impact on our trade, work, and cargo transportation,” said the man, who spoke to RFE/RL’s Radio Azadi on condition of anonymity for fear of retribution. “We couldn’t even do five percent of our normal work.”
The Taliban cut off access to fiber-optic Internet and cell phone service, which relies on the same system, without warning on September 29.
The move triggered chaos, disrupting flights and cutting people off from banking and e-commerce systems as well as online jobs and schools.
The Taliban has not given an official reason for its decision. But the shutdown came weeks after the hard-line Islamist group blocked access to fiber-optic Internet in several provinces because of concerns over “immorality.”
Critics have said the decision is part of a wider crackdown on individual freedoms and the free flow of information.
The UN mission in Afghanistan had urged the Taliban to restore internet and telecommunications access, saying the blackout had left the country cut off from the rest of the world.
"The cut in access has left Afghanistan almost completely cut off from the outside world, and risks inflicting significant harm on the Afghan people, including by threatening economic stability and exacerbating one of the world's worst humanitarian crises," it said in a statement.
The communications blackout affected ordinary Afghans, private businesses, and government offices and caused challenges for thousands of Afghans who are outside the country.
“We couldn’t call, text, or send an e-mail to anyone,” said a man from the northern province of Balkh.
“During these two days, people had so many problems, especially the younger generation that had never experienced life without a telephone or the Internet,” added the man, who spoke to Radio Azadi on condition of anonymity.
The Internet has been a lifeline for Afghan women, many of whom lost their right to work and study following a Taliban ban in 2022.
The blackout triggered fears among women that they were losing their last hope.
“During these 48 hours, we felt like we were being suffocated,” a woman living in the western province of Herat told Radio Azadi.
After losing many of their rights under the Taliban, she said she felt like women were now losing access even “to the Internet, mobile phones, and an ability to call someone.”
