Taliban deny web ban in Afghanistan

[ad_1] ISLAMABAD (AP) — The Taliban authorities on Wednesday rejected reports of a nationwide internet ban in Afghanistan, saying previous fiber optic cables are worn out and are being changed.

The announcement was the Taliban’s first public assertion on a communications blackout that has disrupted banking, commerce and aviation.

A number of provinces final month confirmed an web shutdown due to a decree from the Taliban chief Hibatullah Akhundzada to fight immorality.

“There may be nothing just like the rumors being unfold that we now have imposed a ban on the web,” Taliban officers stated in a three-line assertion shared in a WhatsApp chat group with Pakistani journalists.

The assertion, additionally posted on social media platform X, cited Taliban chief spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid saying ongoing nationwide disruptions had been the results of “decaying fiber optic infrastructure” that's now being changed. The assertion didn't say when or if providers could be restored.

For Maruf Nabizada, the web is a crucial hyperlink to Afghanistan. He fled the nation in 2022 along with his household and settled within the Netherlands. He and his spouse use WhatsApp to remain in contact with their kin.

They've referred to as each hour for the previous three days, however their kin in western Herat province stay offline.

“Whenever you can not hear out of your family members on a regular basis, you get anxious if they're nice, if one thing has occurred to them,” Nabizada informed The Related Press. “Simply final evening my spouse cried as a result of she was not capable of speak to her mom and sister. We're not certain what is going on there.”

He feared a prolonged shutdown that might final weeks and even months.

“It is going to be actually arduous as a result of we aren't in a position to return, however at the very least the web was the one assurance for us, that we may speak to our households by means of voice name or video name, however now even that window is closed.”

The outage was first reported Monday by web advocacy group Netblocks, which stated web connectivity was collapsing throughout the nation, together with within the capital Kabul, and phone providers additionally had been impacted.

Afghan service Kam Air informed native TV channel TOLO Information it will seemingly resume flights to Kabul later Wednesday, after absolutely halting operations since Monday because of the outage.

Assist officers have warned that humanitarian organizations face main challenges due to the blackout, urging authorities to revive connections.

“Dependable communications are important for our skill to function, to ship life-saving help, and to coordinate with companions,” Save the Youngsters stated in a press release Wednesday.

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Related Press author Ahmad Seir contributed to this report from Utrecht, Netherlands.

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