The Taliban government restored internet and telecom services, ending a 48-hour blackout that paralysed daily life and drew widespread condemnation at home and abroad. Internet monitor NetBlocks confirmed a “partial restoration" of service while a senior Taliban spokesman in Qatar told the BBC that “all communications" had been restored. For many Afghans, the return of connectivity meant reconnecting with relatives abroad and resuming money transfers that are vital to the country’s struggling economy.

“Everyone is happy, holding their cell phones and talking to their relatives," a Kabul resident told the BBC, adding, “From women to men and Talibs, everyone was talking on phones after services were restored. There are more crowds now in the city."

The shutdown, which began on Monday, forc

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