Despair in Afghanistan: Taliban's Internet Shutdown Leaves Women and Students Hopeless

Sat Oct 11 2025 04:09:03 GMT+0300 (Eastern European Summer Time)

The recent decision by the Taliban to impose a nationwide internet blackout in Afghanistan has devastated women's education and the prospects of online learning, particularly for those seeking independence and opportunity.

The Taliban's indefinite internet shutdown has left Afghan women like Fahima Noori and many students without access to online education and essential information. As educational restrictions tighten, this internet blackout threatens their dreams and futures in a country already grappling with severe limitations on women's rights.

Fahima Noori had big dreams when she graduated from university in Afghanistan. She had studied law, graduated from a midwifery programme and even worked in a mental health clinic.

But all that was taken away when the Taliban swept into power in 2021. They banned girls over the age of 12 from getting an education, severely restricted job options for women and recently removed books written by women from universities.

For Fahima, the internet was her last lifeline to the outside world. I recently enrolled in an online university [and] I had hoped to finish my studies and find an online job, she said.

On Tuesday, that lifeline was cut off when the Taliban imposed a nationwide internet shutdown that is set to last indefinitely. Our last hope was online learning. Now [even] that dream has been destroyed, said Fahima.

Over the past few weeks, the Taliban government began severing fibre-optic internet connections across several provinces, part of an effort to prevent immorality. The country is currently suffering a total internet blackout, paralyzing essential services and disrupting mobile internet as well as satellite TV across Afghanistan.

International news agencies reported losing contact with offices in the capital, Kabul, alongside disruptions to flights from Kabul airport. Many Afghans expressed their dismay, sharing how previous internet outages derailed their lives. Shakiba, a student from Takhar province, said, Before this, I studied midwifery... the only hope left for us was the internet and online learning. She now feels like the world has darkened.

Teachers like Zabi, who had transitioned to online platforms for English language instruction due to previous restrictions, echoed similar frustrations. He described how 45 of his students lost their chance to take an important exam due to the sudden internet loss.

Additionally, many fear for the future's economic stability as businesses have also suffered immensely from the shutdown, with one money changer mentioning an alarming 90% decline in operations.

As desperation mounts, the Taliban's silence regarding the reasons behind the shutdown only exacerbates the fears and uncertainties faced by many Afghans, particularly women who continue to struggle for their rights and education.