It felt like we had gone back centuries': Afghans express relief after internet restored

"Just before nightfall on Wednesday, the near-deserted streets of Afghanistan's capital suddenly filled with people mobile phones everywhere had pinged back to life. With phones pressed to their ears or tightly gripped in their hands, Afghans poured on to the streets of Kabul to check if others were also online. Congratulations, the internet is back! a shopkeeper shouted, as drivers honked in response."

"For 48 hours, Afghans had been offline cut off from mobile and internet services in a telecommunications shutdown imposed by authorities without warning. It felt like we had gone back centuries. We were thinking of sending letters just to get updates from our families, said Mohammad Rafi, 33, the owner of a mobile phone shop. The streets were empty it felt like a holiday even though it was a weekday. But now, even in evening, it's crowded again."

"Sohrab Ahmadi, a 26-year-old delivery driver, had sat idle for two days, unable to reach clients through the apps he works for. Now, rows of bikes are lined up to collect orders from restaurants lit by neon signs or from juice vendors playing music. It's like Eid al-Adha; it's like preparing to go for prayer, he said. Also visible on the streets was an increase in the number of women,"

Phones and people flooded Kabul's streets just before nightfall as mobile networks and internet services returned after a sudden shutdown. Afghans gathered, honking, buying sweets, handing out balloons and checking connections on smartphones and smart TVs. The shutdown had lasted about 48 hours, cutting off mobile and internet access after authorities ordered telecommunications towers closed without warning. Businesses and delivery drivers sat idle during the outage; app-based couriers resumed work immediately after reconnection. Women appeared more in public as streets filled, despite ongoing Taliban restrictions on education, work and public life for women and girls. Relief and celebration spread across the city.

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