Confusion over Afghan internet outage after purported Taliban statement revealed as false

ISLAMABAD (AP) — Confusion surrounds the state of internet connectivity in Afghanistan, after some networks were apparently restored on Wednesday following an outage that began Monday.

The Associated Press earlier reported what claimed to be a Taliban statement denying reports that the blackout was a deliberate move and saying old fiber optic cables are worn out and being replaced.

However, it later emerged that the statement was false.

The Taliban sometimes communicate with Pakistani journalists through an official WhatsApp group. The false statement was forwarded as an individual message to some of the group's members but was not posted in the group itself. It came from an Afghan user whose name resembled the official name of the media WhatsApp group.

The sender has disappeared and their identity cannot be verified. The same statement was posted on the social platform X, but it came from an account run by a Taliban sympathizer, rather than from the Taliban themselves.

Because of the internet outage in Afghanistan, it was impossible for The Associated Press to call the Taliban spokesperson directly for additional information about the putative repair of the fiber optic cable.

On Wednesday, several hours after the false statement went out, the Taliban WhatsApp group made its first response to the outage, saying that cell phone services are gradually being restored. The Associated Press confirmed with the group administrators that the new statement is genuine.

The statement quoted officials from the telecommunications technical department as saying that the relevant teams are continuously working to fully restore the services.

Internet advocacy group Netblocks on Wednesday posted an update on X, saying, “Live network data show the partial restoration of internet connectivity in #Afghanistan amid outcry after a two-day national telecoms blackout; the incident comes as the Taliban leadership applies new 'immorality' rules on telco operators.”

Netblocks said on Monday that internet connectivity had collapsed across Afghanistan, including in the capital Kabul, and telephone services also were impacted. The blackout has disrupted banking, commerce and aviation.

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 organizations face major challenges because of the blackout, urging authorities to restore connections.