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Sources said by restricting access to government offices, the Kandahar-led Taliban is asserting central authority aiming to weaken the Haqqani network’s influence
A Taliban flag flutters near telecom equipment installed over a rooftop providing internet services as the Taliban administration banned fibre-optic internet in Balkh province. (Image: Atif ARYAN/AFP)
The Taliban’s internet shutdown in Afghanistan signifies more than just ideological censorship under sharia law and reveals a deeper internal power struggle connected to the Bargam fibre optic hub, which serves as both revenue generator and strategic communications artery, sources told News18.
According to the intelligence sources, by restricting internet access to government offices only, the Kandahar-led Taliban is asserting central authority aiming to weaken the Haqqani network’s influence and prevent ethnic minorities and opposition forces from leveraging digital connectivity.
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The Taliban has ordered internet and mobile phone data services to be cut nationwide even as residents and monitoring services reported no connectivity and disruption to flights and financial services on Tuesday.
The Taliban did not, however, offer any immediate explanation for the outage while the United Nations called on authorities to fully restore connections. In the past, the administration has voiced concern about online pornography and authorities cut fibre-optic links to some provinces in recent weeks, with officials citing morality concerns.
All 4G and 3G fibre-optic internet services have been shut down, affecting telephone services, as well as television and radio broadcasts. Only government offices can now use fibre-optic internet.
This nationwide shutdown took place weeks after the Taliban began severing fibre-optic internet connections. Hence, Afghanistan is now facing a “total internet blackout”, as reported by internet watchdog Netblocks and confirmed by local residents in Kabul and Kandahar. Many have lost contact with offices in the capital, and mobile internet and satellite TV have been severely disrupted.
The sources said since seizing power in 2021, the Taliban has imposed numerous restrictions in line with their interpretation of Islamic sharia law. The leadership fears that the Bargam node was enabling opposition mobilisation, protests, and diaspora influence through coordinated online activity, they said.
They said ethnic fault lines contribute to this decision as Bargam connects northern Tajik-Uzbek regions, raising concerns among Pashtun leadership that minorities could exploit internet access. This move is part of a broader strategy to monopolise information, silence independent media, restrict TV and radio broadcasts, and enforce strict sharia-based censorship, they added.
Taliban intelligence has justified the blackout as a counter-espionage measure, alleging foreign infiltration of Afghan telecom systems via Bargam lines, the sources said. By monopolising telecom infrastructure, the Taliban seeks to project central authority, suppress dissent, and neutralise both internal rivals and foreign-backed opposition, they said.
About the Author
Group Editor, Investigations & Security Affairs, Network18
Group Editor, Investigations & Security Affairs, Network18
Kabul, Afghanistan
October 01, 2025, 00:21 IST
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