Internet access was restored across parts of Afghanistan on Wednesday, two days after a sudden nationwide shutdown paralyzed the economy, grounded planes and led to swirling rumors about the reasons behind the blackout.
The internet outage, coupled with a suspension of cellphone services, deepened a sense of dread and uncertainty for millions of Afghans who were already feeling isolated under the drastic restrictions on individual freedoms imposed by the Taliban government.
As of Wednesday, most Afghans still did not know what had happened. Many Afghan officials either didn’t respond to requests for comment or said they could not explain either the shutdown or the service resumption.
“I still don’t have the reason for the internet cutoff,” Inayatullah Alokozay, the spokesman for the Afghan ministry of telecommunications, said.
The shutdown came a few weeks after the country’s leader, Sheikh Haibatullah Akhundzada, ordered a crackdown on the internet. The Sept. 16 order went into effect in about half of the country’s 34 provinces.
An international diplomatic assessment , whose authenticity was verified by The New York Times attributed the countrywide shutdown to a new order by Mr. Akhundzada.
Mobile internet remained available earlier this month when the first restrictions were imposed, but all forms of telecommunications went offline on Monday.
Kabul, a city of six million, was plunged into an eerie quiet for two days. Security forces were deployed across key areas, as government employees and residents said they were befuddled by the shutdown.
With banks closed, people could not collect their salaries on the last day of the month, or receive remittances from relatives abroad — a lifeline for the country’s economy.
Public offices no longer delivered key documents, like passports and national I.D. cards. Hundreds of thousands of girls, who have been barred from going to school by the Taliban and rely on the internet for online education, were cut off from the rest of the world.
Businesses were also brought to a halt.
Aqa Gul Panjshiri, a trader importing food items, care products and cigarettes into Afghanistan, said he was unable to track a container with $150,000 worth of goods, or to receive money from clients that he said he needed to pay 15 employees.
“I want the government to make it clear: Why is the internet cut off? And how long it will last?” Mr. Pangshiri said on Wednesday.
The shutdown stunned Afghans living in the country and abroad and business owners who have striven to keep Afghanistan’s battered economy afloat.
Senior foreign officials and foreign diplomats posted in the region described the move to shut down the internet as reckless. Humanitarian workers said they could not do their work, and were hampered in their response to the aftermath of an earthquake last month that left more than 2,200 dead, or the accommodation of more than 2.7 million Afghans who have returned to Afghanistan from neighboring Iran and Pakistan this year.
“It completely disrupts humanitarian efforts, as you cannot track staff movements in the field and guarantee security,” said a senior humanitarian officer working for an international organization, who spoke on the condition of anonymity. The officer, who was using channels of communication now banned by the Taliban, said, “You cannot access the banks to keep operations moving.”
Half the country’s 43 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance, according to the United Nations.
The internet shutdown was the latest in a long list of limits on personal freedoms imposed by the Taliban.
Earlier this month, the Taliban banned books written by women from universities. In May, they banned chess, citing fears that it was inciting gambling, which they consider a vice. They have forbidden a growing number of provinces to show faces or any living being — including animals — on television. And they have prevented Afghan female aid workers from working with United Nations agencies.
But until now, they had limited themselves to imposing localized, brief shutdowns, including in Kabul, the capital, shortly after they seized power to prevent protests against their rule. They have also restricted access to some platforms, like TikTok, or prevented content creators from posting videos on YouTube.
The internet shutdown compounded the difficulties for Afghans facing life-threatening situations.
Jawad Mohammadi, a resident in Mazar-i-Sharif, in northern Afghanistan, had traveled to Kabul with his brother, who was suffering from severe kidney stones and needed to be hospitalized. Doctors had recommended immediate surgery, but Mr. Mohammadi, 37, was struggling to gather funds from relatives.
“The hospital refuses to proceed with the operation unless we pay in advance,” he said. “I have no other options and don’t know what to do.”
After two days of disconnection, Afghans across the country shared a sense of joy and relief as mobile networks came back to life. The sound of calls and the buzz of notifications filled the streets as night fell on Kabul and residents began reconnecting with friends and family.
Even members of the Taliban stepped out of their offices, sitting casually on the grass outside.
Mr. Mohammadi, whose brother remained hospitalized as of Wednesday, said he had been able to reach his family. “They will send the money tomorrow,” he said.
Francesca Regalado contributed reporting.
Elian Peltier is an international correspondent for The Times, covering Afghanistan and Pakistan.
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