Internet, telecom services partially restored in Afghanistan

Internet and telecom services were partially restored in Afghanistan on Wednesday after a nationwide shutdown lasting 48 hours.

Internet monitor Netblocks said live network data was showing a “partial restoration” of connectivity.

A source close to the government confirmed to BBC Afghan that the internet is back by special order of the prime minister.

The 48-hour blackout disrupted businesses and flights, limited access to emergency services and raised fears about further isolating women and girls.

One man in Kabul on Wednesday told BBC Afghan: “Everyone is happy, holding their cell phones and talking to their relatives.

The government has not given an official explanation for the shutdown.

A day earlier, the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA appealed the interim Afghan government to immediately restore internet and telecommunications access across the country/

The UN mission warned that the blackout was crippling banking and financial systems, isolating women and girls, limiting access to medical care and remittances, and disrupting aviation.

The disruption threatened economic stability and deepened one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises, said the UN mission.

ma