# Taliban ban on Wi-Fi in Balkh province deepens isolation and business disruption
*Event date: 2025-09-16*
A Taliban-ordered ban on fibre optic internet in Afghanistan’s northern Balkh province has cut off Wi-Fi access in homes, government offices, private businesses and public institutions, according to reporting from The Independent that cited a provincial spokesman. The measure, described as a complete ban, is the first of its kind since the Taliban returned to power in August 2021.
Provincial spokesman Haji Attaullah Zaid said the order came from Taliban supreme leader Hibatullah Akhundzada and was intended to “prevent immorality.” He said an alternative would be built inside the country for necessities, but gave no timetable and no explanation of why Balkh was selected. The restrictions did not affect mobile internet, which remained functional, though one resident told The Associated Press it was slower and more expensive than the fixed connection the household had relied on.
The impact appeared immediate and practical. According to the resident quoted in the report, his family of six, including a student, depended on Wi-Fi for daily use. He also said his work relied on stable internet to deal with people and companies outside Afghanistan. For him, and likely for many others in the province, the issue was not simply convenience but basic access to education, communication and income.
The ban also highlights the Taliban’s willingness to use broad restrictions in the name of social control. Afghan authorities have sometimes suspended mobile networks for security reasons, especially during religious festivals, to prevent detonations of explosive devices. This action, however, was different: it was not a temporary safety measure but a province-wide ban on a core communications service tied to a moral justification from the movement’s top leader.
The reporting did not show whether the shutdown would spread beyond Balkh. Zaid said he had no further information on any wider rollout. That uncertainty matters because Balkh is one of Afghanistan’s most connected and commercially important provinces, and residents depend on internet access for ordinary administrative tasks as well as trade.
For now, the move leaves a province that includes the capital Mazar-e-Sharif facing a sudden split between mobile connectivity and the far more stable broadband links that many households and workplaces had come to rely on. The ban is also likely to intensify questions about how Afghanistan’s rulers balance their social rules with the practical needs of people who work, study and communicate beyond the country’s borders.
The Taliban have often imposed restrictions framed as religious or moral corrections. This one stands out because it directly affects the digital infrastructure of daily life, and because it was described as an absolute ban rather than a partial curfew or temporary outage. The few details made public so far suggest a policy announced from the top and implemented locally with little explanation beyond the stated aim of stopping what officials called immorality.
Whether other provinces will face the same restrictions remains unclear. What is already clear is that Balkh residents have lost the steadier internet access that many use for work, study and family life, and that the province has become the latest test case for the Taliban’s control over private communications.
