Will people fight to get it back? The people of Afghanistan face a total internet blackout. The effect has already been enormous — and could change the face of the country forever.
Taliban shuts down Afghan internet
Blackout blow: In cutting off the internet, Afghanistan's Taliban government has stopped girls over 12, whose lives were already very difficult and restricted, from being able to learn at home. Glossary
Afghanistan - A mountainous Asian country, slightly larger than France, whose neighbours include Pakistan, Iran and China.
Taliban - A violent fundamentalist Islamic movement that enforces sharia law and denies education to women.
Watchdog - A watchdog is an individual, organisation or media outlet that monitors the activities of another entity.
Fibre-optic cables - High-speed network cables that transmit data not with electricity like traditional copper wires, but with pulses of light.
Diaspora - A group of people who have spread out from their original homeland and now live in different places around the world.
Sharia law - A legal system based on Islamic teaching. Gay Afghans and Afghan women say the Taliban’s strict reading of Sharia is not compatible with their human rights.
Immorality - Behaviour that is morally wrong.
Pornography - Pictures, videos or text with sexual imagery, made with the intention of causing sexual arousal.