The Taliban rejects reports of nationwide internet ban in Afghanistan

The hardline rulers person antecedently announced section blackouts arsenic portion of attempts to combat purported ‘immoral activities’.

The Taliban has denied implementing a nationwide net ban, pursuing a communications blackout crossed Afghanistan this week.

In a connection made to Pakistani journalists connected a chat radical connected Wednesday, Taliban officials claimed the outages person been caused by aged fibre-optic cables that needed replacing.

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“There is thing similar the rumours being dispersed that we person imposed a prohibition connected the internet,” they said successful a three-line statement.

It is the hardline Islamic government’s archetypal nationalist announcement connected the contented since the commencement of communications failures, which besides compromised telephone services, connected Monday.

Netblocks, a planetary net watchdog, said astatine the clip that determination was a “total net blackout” successful the federation of 43 cardinal people.

Despite the Taliban claiming nary manus successful the net closure, the radical has previously chopped net services successful immoderate areas of the state arsenic portion of person Haibatullah Akhunzada’s decree to combat purported immorality.

On September 16, the Balkh provincial spokesperson confirmed that fibre-optic net had been wholly banned successful the bluish state “to forestall vice”.

Restrictions were besides reported past period successful the bluish provinces of Badakhshan and Takhar, and the confederate provinces of Helmand, Kandahar and Nangarhar.

An Afghan authorities authoritative told the AFP quality bureau connected Monday that “eight to 9 1000 telecommunications pillars” from the fibre-optic web would beryllium unopen down “until further notice”.

Meanwhile, online TV transmission TOLOnews said earlier this week that the Taliban had acceptable a one-week deadline for the shutdown of 3G and 4G net services for each mobile phones.

As good arsenic severing idiosyncratic communications, the blackout has affected sectors including aviation, banking and commerce.

The deficiency of net risks cutting disconnected the state conscionable weeks aft a magnitude 6 earthquake successful the eastbound of the state that killed much than 2,200 people.