Internet blackout hits Afghanistan as Taliban enforce morality crackdown

Afghanistan is experiencing a nationwide internet blackout, with connectivity collapsing to 14% of normal levels, as the Taliban enforces a morality crackdown by banning fiber-optic services. This marks the first such extensive shutdown since the Taliban's 2021 takeover, severely restricting information flow and external communication, and signaling heightened operational and geopolitical risks for entities with interests in the region.

Analysis

Afghanistan is experiencing a near-total nationwide internet blackout, with connectivity collapsing to just 14% of ordinary levels, according to data from Netblocks. This marks the first telecommunications disruption of this scale since the Taliban's takeover in August 2021 and is reportedly a direct result of a new decree banning fiber-optic services to enforce a morality crackdown. The shutdown severely curtails the flow of information and isolates the population, impacting even international press operations, as evidenced by the Associated Press's inability to contact its local bureaus. This event underscores a significant escalation in the Taliban's authoritarian control over critical infrastructure and introduces heightened geopolitical and operational risk, signaling a deeply unstable and unpredictable governance environment for any entities with regional interests.

Key Decisions for Investors

• Investors should immediately re-evaluate country risk models for Afghanistan and neighboring states, as this event signals a material increase in sovereign and operational risk for any assets or supply chains in the region.
• Companies with logistical or supply chain exposure to Central Asia should monitor for potential spillover effects, as the arbitrary nature of this infrastructure crackdown could extend to physical trade and transit routes.
• This event reinforces an extremely bearish outlook on any direct or indirect investment exposure to the Afghan economy, highlighting extreme expropriation and operational risks that make divestment a primary consideration.