Afghanistan Internet Shutdown: At Least 14 Flights Cancelled, Taliban Reject Nationwide Ban - What We Know So Far

(MENAFN- Live Mint) After an internet shutdown in Afghanistan, at least 14 flights scheduled to operate out of Kabul airport on Wednesday were reportedly cancelled. Data from plane tracker Flightradar24, as reported by Reuters, showed the status of other flights was unclear.

Four departures and ten arrivals were cancelled out of the 34 flights slated to fly in and out of Kabul on Wednesday. On Tuesday, 10 flights out of 31 scheduled were called off.

The status of the remaining 21 flights from Tuesday was labelled“unknown” on Flightradar24. Many flights scheduled to operate out of other provincial airports, such as Herat and Kandahar, for Tuesday and Wednesday were also labelled“unknown”.

Mohammad Bashir, a representative of Kam Air, an Afghan domestic and international carrier, told the country's Tolo News channel that just one flight had run since the internet blackout. He said that before a plane takes off, it must share flight information online with the destination airport, which is not currently possible.

He hoped that operations could restart on Wednesday.

“This is important for our fellow citizens who had transit flights and for those who were stranded trying to return. We must restart operations for their sake,” Bashir said.

Internet shutdown in Afghanistan

Growing chaos from the Taliban administration's order on Monday to cut internet and cell phone connections reportedly hit banks, aid work, businesses, and the ability of Afghans to connect with family and friends.

It has also left many stranded in Afghanistan, with flights cancelled, Reuters reported.

The outage was first reported on Monday by the internet advocacy group Netblocks. It said internet connectivity was collapsing across the country, including in the capital Kabul, and telephone services were also impacted.

As per the report, several provinces last month confirmed an internet shutdown because of a decree from the Taliban leader Hibatullah Akhundzada to combat immorality.

The United Nations has called for services to be restored.

In the past, the Taliban voiced concern about online pornography, and authorities cut fibre-optic links to some provinces in recent weeks, with officials citing morality concerns.

Taliban reject nationwide internet ban: 'Nothing like rumours'

The Taliban government on Wednesday rejected reports of a nationwide internet ban in Afghanistan, saying old fibre optic cables are worn out and are being replaced.

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

“There is nothing like the rumours being spread that we have imposed a ban on the internet,” Taliban officials were quoted by AFP as saying.

The group reportedly said this in a three-line statement shared in a WhatsApp chat group with Pakistani journalists.

The statement posted on social media platform X cited Taliban chief spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid, saying ongoing nationwide disruptions were the result of“decaying fibre optic infrastructure” that is now being replaced.

What's next?

Afghan carrier Kam Air told local TV channel TOLO News it would likely resume flights to Kabul later Wednesday, after fully halting operations since Monday due to the outage.

Aid officials have warned that humanitarian organisations face major challenges because of the blackout and urged authorities to restore connections.

“Reliable communications are essential for our ability to operate, to deliver life-saving assistance, and to coordinate with partners," Save the Children said in a statement on Wednesday.

(With inputs from Reuters)

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