UN: Internet Blackout in Afghanistan Led to Child Deaths

DID Press: A new report by the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) shows the Taliban government’s decision to cut off internet access for 48 hours in early Mizan (late September) crippled the country’s healthcare system and led to the deaths of at least ten children, including a newborn. UNAMA warns that Afghanistan is not prepared to handle such communication crisis, and the human consequences can be far worse than current report.

In a 12-page report, UNAMA declared that the total internet shutdown on the 7th and 8th of Mizan, ordered by Taliban leader Hibatullah Akhundzada, resulted in a humanitarian disaster in hospitals and medical centers across the country.

According to the report, at least nine children and one newborn died as a result. In one case, a pregnant woman suffering from severe bleeding needed immediate transfer to a provincial hospital, but due to the communication blackout, medical staff could not contact higher-level facilities. She lost her baby and suffered serious complications herself.

Healthcare workers in various provinces told UNAMA that during the two-day shutdown, hospitals ran out of vital supplies including antibiotics, saline, and blood, with no way to request emergency aid from Kabul or neighboring provinces.

In Zabul province, three children died because blood could not be delivered, and in Badghis province, five malnourished children died due to the absence of doctors in hospitals. UNAMA notes the real death toll is likely much higher since emergency communication data has not yet been fully collected.

“During these two days, emergency calls were completely cut off, ambulances stopped operating, and the delivery of healthcare services across the country was paralyzed,” reads the report. “Patients waited in pain and fear in hospitals, as all patient processing had to be done manually,” said an eyewitness.

The Taliban leader justified the shutdown as a measure to “combat immorality and corruption,” but UNAMA emphasized that the Taliban’s decision not only suppressed freedom of information but also placed hundreds of lives at immediate risk.

UNAMA warns that about 75% of Afghanistan’s population depends on the internet for banking, healthcare, and commerce, and any similar action in the future could lead to even more catastrophic humanitarian consequences.