The Taliban rejects reports of nationwide internet ban in Afghanistan

Following this week’s nationwide communications blackout, the Taliban has denied implementing a nationwide internet ban.

Taliban officials claimed that the outages were brought on by outdated fiber-optic cables that needed to be replaced in a statement released to Pakistani journalists on a chat group on Wednesday.

Nothing can rival the rumors that the internet has been banned, they said in a three-line statement.

The hardline Islamic government made its first public statement on the subject on Monday following the start of communications failures, which also affected phone services.

The nation of 43 million people is currently experiencing a “total internet blackout,” according to Netblocks, a global internet watchdog.

The Taliban claim no role in the internet closure, but the organization has previously curbed access to it in some of its regions as a result of leader Haibatullah Akhunzada’s decree to combat alleged immorality.

The northern province’s fibre-optic internet was completely banned, according to a spokesperson for the Balkh provincial government on September 16.

In addition, restrictions were reported last month in Helmand, Kandahar, and Nangarhar, both in northern Badakhshan and Takhar, and in southern Helmand, Kandahar, and Nangarhar, respectively.

Eight to nine thousand fiber-optic network pillars, according to an Afghan government official, will be shut down “until further notice” until Monday.

The Taliban has also established a one-week deadline for the suspension of all mobile phone 3G and 4G internet services, according to an article published on TOLOnews.

The blackout has also had an impact on industries like banking, aviation, and commerce, as well as personal communications.