However, last month a spokesperson for the Taliban governor in the northern province of Balkh said internet access was being blocked “for the prevention of vices”.
Since returning to power, the Taliban have imposed numerous restrictions in accordance with their interpretation of Islamic Sharia law.
Afghan women have told the BBC that the internet is a lifeline to the outside world since the Taliban banned girls over the age of 12 from getting an education.
Women’s job options have also been severely restricted and in September, books written by women were removed from universities.
Following the internet shutdown on Monday, the United Nations said it left Afghanistan almost completely cut off from the outside world. It added that it risked “inflicting significant harm on the Afghan people, including by threatening economic stability and exacerbating one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises”.