Taliban turning off the internet

[ArabellaSaurus]

https://news.sky.com/story/afghanistan-internet-ban-extinguishing-the-only-light-that-still-reaches-us-13436723

https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/looms-laptops-afghan-women-lose-lifeline-taliban-internet-ban-2025-09-23/

'Local government officials confirmed a ban on fibre-optic services in five northern provinces — Balkh, Kunduz, Badakhshan, Takhar and Baghlan. Officials said the ban is to prevent "immoral activities." Residents in other provinces, including Kandahar, Herat and Parwan have reported disruptions, though these have not been formally acknowledged by authorities.'
...
'"A complete ban has been imposed on fibre-optic cable … This action has been taken to prevent immoral activities, and an alternative solution will be developed within the country to meet necessary needs," Haji Zaid, a spokesman for the governor of the Balkh province said last week.
The Kunduz provincial media office issued a similar statement. The Ministry of Communications in Kabul did not immediately respond to a request for comment.'
...
'The internet has been a lifeline for students, especially girls barred from secondary schools and universities, but the shutdown has cut off even that option in northern Afghanistan.

Thereabouts, I think. Possibly the 11th.

This BBC article shows all the ways this ban impacts far more on women already physically isolated.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c98dmq03n92o

Bur hard to understand that they would do this nationally as it is also impacting on commercial trade, when Afghanistan has one of the lowest levels of income.

I’ve been wondering whether the Taliban have been seeing the calls for help on X and cut it in spite. It’s just going to get worse.

They're full of shit. I seriously doubt the internet was switched off everywhere. No doubt, it's an Animal Farm style arrangement in which the internet has just been switched off for the general public, but the Taliban can still access it easily.

I am sure you are right.

M16 are recruiting on the Dark Web

Wonder if it has them worried?

I know I will be leapt in but this is why I feel disquiet whenever I see a woman veiled. This is the end result. Having two young adult dds myself I cannot bear it for them.

Also those men that say feminists should act. What the hell can we do sitting at home here when the might of the US army failed?

I note when there are issues with male migrants harassing local women they are often Afghans.

A post from Kate Clancy. I just want to cry.

https://x.com/KateClanchy1/status/1973314060180451363?t=2OgEcfJhFxvAeng3EwDU9g&s=19
The internet shutdown in Afghanistan happened in real time in my online poetry class on Monday. The women's accounts dropped out one by one. The last to go was Neda. Just before her image froze, I promised to put her poem on Twitter. She's 11. Online was her last hope of education. @WRNAfghanistan

Neda also loves Christian Ronaldo, gets way over-excited in class, and really misses school. As she can't even put an online hand up right now, (she never shouts out) please pass her poems on.
x.com/KateClanchy1/status/1973332764335415707?t=SHB-H4fWjNGy08KT_JW-7g&s=19

It has now been announced that internet connections are now being re-established. According to BBC World Service the Taliban claim it was just a wiring problem. That their infrastructure is so old cables break - or something.

I suspect, not that they care about women, but the impact on the country economically has been really bad. Including planes not being able land ...

https://www.pressreader.com/uk/The-i-paper/20251001/283755615262597?srsltid=AfmBOoppxNiU3kA_nQOXeGvaSif3keGgzBKYAS_fiAQai1yu-cyz6drX

What they are doing to women and girls in Afghanistan is horrific.

It is worse than the Handmaid’s Tale.

I can’t believe this is talked about so little compared to other issues in the world.

I know histories of interventions in Afghanistan have not gone well (to put it mildly) but I don’t think we should let it go. At least half the population would be on our side!

It's regularly spoken about on Woman's Hour but sadly everything concerning women only seems to be aired on that 1hr slot and rarely sees any other coverage. BBC gets their quota and shrugs.

Terrifying 🥺 xx

They do a lot of reporting about this on the BBC World Service.

Have a horrible feeling that the BBC UK broadcast programmes have most likely found that most in the UK dont care. Or just shrug their shoulders.

I think post Iraq and the fake WMD we are very wary of getting involved in global politics again, which is odd considering how many flag capes strut about saying they don't want anyone else let in. You'd think they'd be keener to keep them in their own homes. It's a delicate balance. I do wonder how much our leaders see this as an issue though, seeing as it mainly affects women with no power.

I think also, without saying all UK listeners are uncaring, is there is (and i know its a cliched word) a sort of fatigue.

Partly because the west hasn't found a realistic way of helping women is situations like this. There are so many countries where women are enduring terrible suffering.

As well as the fact we were conned by Blair who was happy to use his wife to make bold statements about going into Afghanistan to help women, and then when the US said we are pulling out, we also just abandoned them. And women paid the price more.

And for me is the knowledge, and hopefully it isn't true of all aid agencies, the number of countries where westen aid groups have gone with an agenda of helping women, and then it turns out those employed to do this work then use their position to exploit women.

Its so complex even in less extreme situations.

How is it possible to provide any sort of help now.

Just hope that the return of the internet will allow some women to get some small relief from the life they are trapped in.

https://abcnews.go.com/International/afghanistan-internet-partially-restored-after-days-silence/story?id=126120573

Yes to all of that, sadly the exploitation of women seems to be part of the wars - especially in conservative countries where a woman's virtue is tied to worth. I think the Imperial actually had an exhibition on about war crimes against women (Sudan - another woman's war that is rarely discussed) that I really wanted to see. We know women bear the brunt of war but men keep starting them.

I think it’s unfair to say we “don’t care”. We care desperately but just what exactly are “we” (decent people in other countries) supposed to actually do?

Nobody has said we dont care.

I was thinking of ways we could help. It seems that if women are to receive aid, whether medical services or other support the advice is to donate to charities known to be still working there, in the hope that some of the money will trickle down to women.

And I had this thought if (when it is working) there was a way we could donate to the cost of being connected to the internet. Whether existing women's support groups based outside of Afghanistan who use the internet to connect to women there, would be able to use donations to help pay for women getting an internet connection. Obviously this wouldn't stop the Taliban turning it off, but if when it is working it helped women get connected.

But suspect any money transfers coming from other countries would be seen as being suspicious.

From a couple of articles I read it is suggested that some back to the stone age male genuinely thought turning off access to the internet would just be another step in returning to a less westernised world.

Whether a cleric or someone with no idea of how the world, even in Afghanistan works, never took into account how much of daily life it now enabled by the internet.

So there never were dodgy cables, just some zealot out of touch with reality, and it took someone more senior to get the order overturned.

I'm adding this here although it belongs on an earlier thread about women and health restrictions, but thought better to keep updating newest thread rather than having many on different issues but each a result of the same reason.

https://news.sky.com/story/crying-babies-dimmed-by-hunger-fill-this-afghanistan-hospital-where-parents-fear-each-day-might-be-the-last-13445205

I was looking for a video news report on Sky which showed a female reporter, although conforming to Taliban dress code, showing impact of earth quake. Showed that women were being treated and rescued. But whether that was a result of most rescue work being done by the local community I dont know.

Neither of these seem to be quite what was broadcast.

https://news.sky.com/story/i-dont-want-to-bury-them-a-month-on-from-one-of-the-worst-earthquakes-afghanistan-has-seen-13443561