Kabul, Afghanistan – Afghanistan was thrown into unprecedented isolation this week after the Taliban government enforced a nationwide internet shutdown that has grounded flights, disrupted banking systems, and crippled communications across the country.
Kabul International Airport has remained almost deserted since Monday evening, with passengers told that no flights will depart or land until Thursday at the earliest.
The blackout has effectively cut Afghanistan off from the outside world at a time of deepening humanitarian crisis.
The Taliban offered no detailed explanation for the drastic move, saying only that the blackout would last “until further notice.”
However, officials from the UN Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) issued a sharp condemnation, warning that the decision risks worsening an already dire economic and humanitarian situation.
“The cut in access has left Afghanistan almost completely disconnected, threatening livelihoods, communication, and economic stability,” UNAMA said in a statement.
For ordinary Afghans, the shutdown has been devastating. Business transactions that rely on mobile banking have stalled, leaving many unable to access cash.
Banks in Kabul reported long queues as desperate citizens sought to withdraw money, while several branches in provincial towns closed altogether. Deliveries of goods, mobile payments, and even government services were interrupted.
“We are blind without phones and the internet. All our business relies on mobiles. Deliveries, payments, everything has stopped,” said Najibullah, a shopkeeper in Kabul.
Air travel has been brought to a standstill, stranding hundreds of would-be travelers, including aid workers and students. Airlines said they could not process passenger manifests or safety protocols without digital connectivity, forcing them to suspend operations until systems are restored.
“When I heard that the internet had been cut, the world felt dark to me,” said Amina, a 21-year-old student who had been taking online midwifery courses after her university was shuttered last year. “It feels like another door has been slammed shut on us.”
While the Taliban has previously justified regional internet restrictions as a way to prevent “immorality” or clamp down on opposition, analysts believe this sweeping blackout may have political motives.
Reports suggest internal security concerns and attempts to stifle dissent ahead of sensitive Taliban decisions could be driving the move.
Regional analyst Ahmad Rashid noted: “Internet control has become a political weapon. For the Taliban, cutting off communication reduces coordination among opponents and sends a message that they can dictate the terms of daily life with impunity.”
The blackout has sparked alarm among aid agencies that rely on digital communications for logistics and coordination.
Afghanistan already faces one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises, with over 24 million people in need of aid. Disruptions to supply chains risk worsening shortages of food, fuel, and medical supplies.
The United Nations, which maintains a presence in Afghanistan, has urged the Taliban to restore services immediately.
Western diplomats have also warned that such moves further isolate the regime, making international engagement and humanitarian assistance more difficult.
For now, Afghans are left waiting, anxious about how long the shutdown will last and what its long-term implications will be. The decision has reinforced fears of a regime tightening its grip through repression and isolation.
As Najibullah, the Kabul shopkeeper, put it: “We were already cut off from the world in many ways. Now, even among ourselves, we cannot talk, we cannot trade, we cannot learn. It is as if Afghanistan has gone dark.”
The Taliban’s blackout, critics say, may restore control in the short term, but it risks further alienating a population already burdened by poverty, repression, and conflict, plunging the country deeper into crisis.
