Just before nightfall on Wednesday, the near-deserted streets of Afghanistan\u2019s capital suddenly filled with people \u2013 mobile phones everywhere had pinged back to life.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
\u201cCongratulations, the internet is back!\u201d a shopkeeper shouted, as drivers honked in response. Children were handed balloons, parents bought sweets and friends gathered in restaurants \u2013 all while chatting animatedly on their phones.<\/p>\n
For 48 hours, Afghans had been offline<\/a>, cut off from mobile and internet services, in a telecommunications shutdown imposed by authorities without warning.<\/p>\n \u201cIt felt like we had gone back centuries. We were thinking of sending letters just to get updates from our families,\u201d said Mohammad Rafi, 33, the owner of a mobile phone shop.<\/p>\n \u201cThe streets were empty \u2013 it felt like a holiday even though it was a weekday. But now, even in evening, it\u2019s crowded again.\u201d<\/p>\n Men try to connect their smart TV to the internet. Photograph: Sayed Hassib\/Reuters<\/p>\n Sohrab Ahmadi, a 26-year-old delivery driver, had sat idle for two days, unable to reach clients through the apps he works for.<\/p>\n Now, rows of bikes are lined up to collect orders from restaurants lit by neon signs or from juice vendors playing music. \u201cIt\u2019s like Eid al-Adha; it\u2019s like preparing to go for prayer,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Telecommunication towers are gradually restoring service after almost three days of closures. Photograph: Samiullah Popal\/EPA<\/p>\n Also visible on the streets was an increase in the number of women, who have faced sweeping restrictions under the Taliban government<\/a>, including a ban on education beyond primary school.<\/p>\n \u201cI can\u2019t tell you how relieved I am. I\u2019m breathing again,\u201d said one young woman who is studying online and asked not to be named. \u201cOnline classes are the only hope left for Afghan girls.\u201d<\/p>\n The UN said the shutdown in connectivity threatened economic stability and exacerbated one of the world\u2019s worst humanitarian crises.<\/p>\n