Confusion lingers over the status of internet connectivity in Afghanistan as some networks were reportedly restored on Wednesday following an outage that commenced on Monday. The Associated Press had initially cited a Taliban statement refuting allegations that the blackout was intentional, attributing it to aged fiber optic cables undergoing replacement. However, it later transpired that the statement was false.
The misinformation was disseminated via an individual message to select members of a WhatsApp group used by the Taliban for communication with Pakistani journalists. The message, resembling the official group’s name, originated from an Afghan user who has since vanished, raising doubts about their credibility. Furthermore, a similar statement appeared on a social platform attributed to a Taliban sympathizer, not the Taliban themselves.
Due to the internet disruption, The Associated Press could not directly contact the Taliban spokesperson for clarity on the purported cable repairs. Subsequently, the Taliban WhatsApp group responded hours later, confirming the gradual restoration of cell phone services. The group administrators verified the authenticity of this new statement.
Notably, the telecommunications technical department officials mentioned in the statement are actively working towards fully reinstating services. Netblocks, an internet advocacy group, updated on X that internet connectivity in Afghanistan is partially restored amid concerns about the national telecom blackout and the Taliban’s imposition of new regulations on telco operators.
The outage, initially flagged by Netblocks on Monday, impacted internet connectivity nationwide, including in Kabul, with telephone services also affected. Flight disruptions were evident, with at least 14 flights from Kabul airport canceled on Wednesday. Afghan carrier Kam Air indicated a potential resumption of operations later that day after being grounded since Monday due to the outage.
Humanitarian organizations face significant hurdles due to the blackout, necessitating swift action to restore connectivity. Save the Children emphasized the criticality of reliable communications for delivering aid effectively and coordinating with partners.