The Taliban administration has imposed a sweeping ban on fiber-optic internet across five northern Afghan provinces, citing the need to curb “immoral activities” online. It is the first regional internet shutdown of its kind since the group returned to power in 2021.

The ban, announced Wednesday, affects Kunduz, Badakhshan, Baghlan, Takhar, and Balkh, home to major population centers in the north. Officials confirmed that all fiber connections have been disconnected, leaving homes, offices, and businesses without Wi-Fi access.

Mobile data services will remain available, according to provincial government statements, though officials offered few details on how long the restrictions would last.

“This measure has been taken to prevent immoral activities,” the statement read, promising that an alternative would be provided “for essential needs.”

The Taliban has repeatedly voiced concern over pornography and online communication between men and women. The shutdown follows a series of decrees codifying morality rules, including requiring women to cover their faces, barring girls from secondary education, and prohibiting women from most forms of employment.

Former U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad criticized the move as “absurd,” arguing that if pornography was the real concern, content could have been filtered rather than cutting off access altogether. “Many Islamic countries do exactly that,” he said.

Reports indicate that the shutdown may be spreading beyond the five northern provinces. Officials in Nangarhar province, in the east, confirmed Thursday that fiber-optic service had also been suspended there.

The Afghanistan Media Support Organization condemned the ban, saying it would “not only disrupt millions of citizens’ access to free information and essential services but also pose a grave threat to freedom of expression and the work of the media.”

Afghanistan has invested heavily in expanding its internet backbone in recent years. The Communications Ministry said in 2023 that more than 1,800 kilometers of fiber-optic network had been laid, with an additional 488 kilometers approved for expansion.

Those gains are now threatened by the Taliban’s restrictive policies. Rights groups warn that the shutdown could further isolate Afghans, limit education and business opportunities, and cripple what remains of the country’s private sector.