Islamabad: Confusion surrounds the state of internet connectivity in Afghanistan, after some networks were apparently restored on Wednesday following an outage that began Monday.
The Associated Press earlier reported what it claimed to be a Taliban statement denying reports that the blackout was a deliberate move and saying old fibre optic cables are worn out and being replaced.
However, it later emerged that the statement was false.
Taliban’s official WhatsApp group
The Taliban sometimes communicate with Pakistani journalists through an official WhatsApp group. The false statement was forwarded as an individual message to some of the group’s members but was not posted in the group itself. It came from an Afghan user whose name resembled the official name of the media WhatsApp group.
The sender has disappeared and their identity cannot be verified. The same statement was posted on the social platform X, but it came from an account run by a Taliban sympathiser, rather than from the Taliban themselves.
Also ReadInternet blackout hits Afghanistan as Taliban enforce morality crackdown
Because of the internet outage in Afghanistan, it was impossible for The Associated Press to call the Taliban spokesperson directly for additional information about the putative repair of the fibre optic cable.
On Wednesday, several hours after the false statement went out, the Taliban WhatsApp group made its first response to the outage, saying that cellphone services are gradually being restored. The Associated Press confirmed with the group administrators that the new statement is genuine.
The statement quoted officials from the telecommunications technical department as saying that the relevant teams are continuously working to fully restore the services.
Internet advocacy group Netblocks on Wednesday posted an update on X, saying, “Live network data show the partial restoration of internet connectivity in #Afghanistan amid outcry after a two-day national telecoms blackout; the incident comes as the Taliban leadership applies new ‘immorality’ rules on telco operators.”
Netblocks said on Monday that internet connectivity had collapsed across Afghanistan, including in the capital Kabul, and telephone services also were impacted. The blackout has disrupted banking, commerce and aviation.
Afghan carrier Kam Air told local TV channel TOLO News it would likely resume flights to Kabul later Wednesday, after fully halting operations since Monday due to the outage.
Aid officials have warned that humanitarian organizations face major challenges because of the blackout, urging authorities to restore connections.
“Reliable communications are essential for our ability to operate, to deliver life-saving assistance, and to coordinate with partners,” Save the Children said in a statement Wednesday.
Taliban authorities implemented the cut without clear explanation: UN spokesman
UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters that Taliban authorities implemented the cut “without clear explanation …and appears to have been reversed also without explanation.”
The communications cuts have risked inflicting multiple negative impacts on the Afghan people, economic stability, on the continued grave situation for Afghan women and girls and on the rights of all Afghan people to freedom of expression and access to information and privacy, Dujarric said.
He made the comments after the UN mission in Afghanistan said the nearly 48-hour cut appeared to have been reversed, with services resuming nationwide.
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