The United Nations mission in Afghanistan has called on the Taliban to restore internet and telecommunications services nationwide, warning that the government-imposed blackout has left the country almost entirely cut off from the outside world.

The disruption, reported on Monday, is the first nationwide internet shutdown since the Taliban regained power in August 2021. It follows their ongoing crackdown on what they term “immorality.” Earlier this month, several provinces lost fiber-optic connectivity after Taliban leader Hibatullah Akhundzada issued a decree banning the service.

No official comment has come from the Taliban, who continue to rely on messaging apps and social media for internal and external communications.

The U.N. Assistance Mission in Afghanistan said the blackout is threatening economic stability and worsening one of the world’s most severe humanitarian crises. It is crippling banking and financial systems, isolating women and girls, limiting access to medical care and remittances, and disrupting aviation. The mission also warned that such restrictions undermine freedom of expression and the right to information, especially during emergencies such as recent earthquakes and mass forced returns from neighboring countries.

The internet outage, initially imposed on Sept. 16, became nationwide on Sept. 29. The U.N. mission said it will continue pressing Afghanistan’s de facto authorities to restore access “in support of the Afghan people.”

Pakistan’s diplomatic missions have arranged alternative communications, including satellite phones, an official in Islamabad said on condition of anonymity.

South Asia analyst Michael Kugelman described the shutdown as one of the “most extreme and draconian” actions by the Taliban since 2021, highlighting that the group remains ideologically hardline.