KABUL - Afghanistan has experienced a widespread shutdown of internet and mobile services since Monday afternoon. The services began to resume thoroughly across the country on Wednesday afternoon.

The disruption, lasting nearly 48 hours, has severely impacted daily life, including banking, remittances, trade, and education, particularly online learning for women and girls, and communication for residents, businesses, and international organizations.

The Afghan authorities had suspended fiber-optic services across multiple provinces, including northern Balkh, Badakhshan, Kunduz, and Takhar, a couple of weeks ago, to curb what they described as "immoral activities".

Afghanistan's telecommunications infrastructure heavily relies on fiber-optic cables routed through neighboring countries such as Pakistan, Iran, and Central Asian states, making it vulnerable to both technical failures and deliberate interruptions.