Taliban Expands Smartphone Ban Across Afghan Government and Institutions

On June 16, 2026 the Taliban issued a military-court directive ordering all government employees, judges, police and military personnel to stop using smartphones. Violators face confiscation, destruction of the device and “legal and sharia punishment.” The order permits feature phones that lack touchscreens or camera functions. Within weeks the policy spread to schools and universities, with Kabul University’s council imposing a total ban on professors, staff and students effective June 21, and similar prohibitions appearing at Herat University, Baghlan province universities and madrassas in Kandahar.

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Since the Taliban’s return to power in 2021, smartphones have been a primary channel for Afghans to obtain medical advice, coordinate transport, document abuse and continue education, especially for women barred from formal schooling. Video footage from phones has repeatedly exposed protests, arrests and mistreatment, making the devices a perceived threat to the regime’s control.

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• Hibatullah Akhundzada – Taliban supreme leader whose verbal order was later codified in the June 16 directive; exemptions require a written decree from him.

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• Taliban higher-education minister – previously labeled smartphones “one of the three main enemies of Muslims.”

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• Farzana, 40, a midwife in Moqor district, Ghazni province, who relied on WhatsApp images to triage newborns.

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• Baryalai, 18, madrassa student in Kandahar, who reports a total ban at his school.

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• Omar Istanikzai, 30, teacher at the same madrassa, who supports the ban for study focus.

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• Faraidon Farzad, 29, Ph.D. candidate in artificial intelligence developing a smartphone-based wound-analysis tool.

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Smartphones enable remote consultations, emergency transport coordination and the sharing of medical images that can avert costly trips to distant clinics. The ban forces health workers like Farzana to rely on costly land-line calls, limiting rapid response. In education, phones serve as portable classrooms—photographing board notes, downloading textbooks and maintaining contact with families during emergencies. Students at Kabul University report difficulty staying in touch with relatives when crises arise.

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The June 16 directive, circulated to court heads, police commanders and intelligence chiefs across Afghanistan’s eight administrative zones, mandates device smashing and unspecified “legal and sharia punishment” for violations. The education department in Kandahar justified its student and teacher ban as rooted in a “sharia perspective,” warning that smartphones risk “the destruction of the future generation.” Kabul University’s leadership council announced its ban without allowing questions at the meeting.

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Midwife Farzana says the ban “makes it hard to attend to every woman in every village.” Students like Baryalai describe a “complete ban” that cuts off access to lessons and family communication. Health innovators such as Farzad argue that “mobile phones are widely available, affordable and easy to use,” emphasizing their potential to bridge gaps in rural care.

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The directive officially applies only to government officials, yet provinces such as Herat, Kandahar and Baghlan have already enforced bans in schools and hospitals. Enforcement details—specific punishments, the process for obtaining exemptions, and the extent of civilian compliance—remain unclear.

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• “Sometimes a photo or a message helps me understand whether a mother or newborn needs urgent help.” — Farzana, Midwife

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• “No one brings smartphones anymore.” — Baryalai, Madrassa Student

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• “I think this is a good decision so that there is more focus on studies,” — Omar Istanikzai, Teacher

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• “one of the three main enemies of Muslims” — Taliban Higher-Education Minister

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• “Mobile phones are widely available, affordable and easy to use,” — Faraidon Farzad, AI Ph.D. Candidate

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