KABUL - Fahima Noori had big dreams when she graduated from university in Afghanistan. She had studied law, graduated from a midwifery programme and even worked in a mental health clinic.
But all that was taken away when the Taliban swept into power in 2021. They banned girls over the age of 12 from getting an education, severely restricted job options for women and recently removed books written by women from universities. For Fahima, the internet was her last lifeline to the outside world. "I recently enrolled in an online university [and] I had hoped to finish my studies and find an online job," she said. On Tuesday, that lifeline was cut off when the Taliban imposed a nationwide internet shutdown that is set to last indefinitely. "Our last hope was online learning. Now [even] that dream has been destroyed," said Fahima. Her real name has been changed to protect her identity, as have the names of all others interviewed for this article.
Over the past few weeks, the Taliban government began severing fibre-optic internet connections across several provinces, saying this was part of an effort to prevent immorality. For many, they feared this might be the first step towards an entire internet shutdown. And on Tuesday, their worst fears came true. The country is currently experiencing a "total internet blackout" according to internet watchdog Netblocks - a move that has paralysed the country's essential services. International news agencies say they have lost contact with offices in the capital Kabul. Mobile internet and satellite TV has also been severely disrupted across Afghanistan. Flights from Kabul airport have also been disrupted, according to local media reports.
Ahead of the nationwide shutdown, the BBC spoke to some people in Afghanistan who detailed how the internet outages in their provinces had derailed their lives. "Before this, I studied midwifery, but unfortunately that programme was banned for women... the only hope left for us was the internet and online learning," said Shakiba, who lives in the northern province of Tahkar. "We want to study. We want to be educated. We want to be able to help people in our future. When I heard that the internet had been cut, the world felt dark to me." It's a similar tale for Fahima, who says she now feels "helpless". (BBC/ Getty Images)
