UPDATE 2-Afghanistan's cellphone, internet services down after Taliban ordered cut, sources say

(Recasts, adds quote from cellphone provider in paragraphs 5-6, UN comment in paragraphs 4, 13, 14) * Providers say they were ordered to cut connections * United Nations calls for restoration of internet * Flights, banking and health services disrupted * Taliban has given no immediate explanation By Mohammad Yunus Yawar and Saeed Shah KABUL, Sept 30 (Reuters) – The Taliban have ordered internet and mobile phone data services to be cut across Afghanistan, diplomatic and industry sources said on Tuesday, as residents and monitoring services reported no connectivity and disruption to flights and financial services. The Taliban administration offered no immediate explanation for the outage and could not be reached for comment. The UN called on authorities to fully restore connections. In the past, the Taliban have voiced concern about online pornography, and authorities cut fibre-optic links to some provinces in recent weeks, with officials citing morality concerns. "The cut in access has left Afghanistan almost completely cut off from the outside world, and risks inflicting significant harm on the Afghan people," the UN said in a statement. Afghanistan is grappling with the aftermath of an earthquake that hit the east of the country, the return of millions of refugees expelled from neighbouring countries, and a drought in the north. TALIBAN DIRECTIVES An Afghan cell phone services provider, which did not want to be named, said it was working alongside other providers "to manage this sensitive and complex situation". "We are following directives from the authorities and we hope that all telcos in the country will be authorized to recommence services as soon as possible,” the company said. Internet connectivity in Afghanistan was flatlining around the 1% mark, said NetBlocks, an international internet access monitoring organisation. Connectivity was cut in phases on Monday, with the final stage affecting telephone services, which share infrastructure with the internet, NetBlocks said in an email to Reuters. Private channel Tolo News, which warned viewers of a disruption to its services, said authorities had set a one-week deadline for the shutdown of 3G and 4G internet services for cell phones, leaving only the older 2G standard active. The channel also reported disruption for private banks and the central bank, while Kabul's currency market was working off yesterday's exchange rates. "WE CANNOT COMMUNICATE" Shabeer, who gave only his first name, said that his job at a private internet service provider had been suspended. "People today rely on technology, it is the main way to stay connected with the outside world," he said. "No one knows about the condition of their relatives, and even within Afghanistan, we cannot communicate." Arafat Jamal, country representative for the U.N. refugee agency, told reporters via satellite link from Kabul that it could no longer reach its frontline aid workers, including those helping with the earthquake response. "It is another crisis on top of the existing crisis. It is utterly unnecessary for this kind of interruption to take place, and the impact is going to be on the lives of Afghan people," he said, adding that it was seeking a waiver from the blackout from authorities. Strictures ordered by the Taliban leadership, based in Kandahar, have grown increasingly hardline. This month, authorities stopped women working for the UN from entering its offices. Earlier, women were banned from many lines of employment and girls from attending high school. The Taliban have said they respect women's rights in line with their interpretation of Islamic law. Women's rights activist Sanam Kabiri said the Taliban had already closed schools, universities, recreation, and sports facilities for women. "The Taliban are using every tool at their disposal to suppress the people," Kabiri, who is based outside of Afghanistan, told journalists in a video posting. "What else do these ignorant men of another century want from our oppressed people?" Women faced with curbs on leaving their homes to work had turned to the internet for an economic lifeline that allowed some to work from home. In recent weeks the Taliban have engaged with U.S. officials, especially regarding American citizens detained in Afghanistan, one of whom they released on Sunday. (Reporting by Mohammad Yunus Yawar in Kabul, Saeed Shah in Islamabad and Emma Farge in Geneva; additional reporting by Hritam Mukherjee; Writing by Saeed Shah; Editing by Clarence Fernandez, Alexandra Hudson)

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