Afghanistan restores internet after 72-hour nationwide blackout

Authorities had for weeks been restricting broadband access in several provinces to prevent "vice" on the orders of the Taliban's supreme leader.

But no one in Kabul was prepared for a nationwide shutdown.

Young Kabulis first travelled to high points in the mountainous capital, phones raised skyward, hoping to catch a signal. Then they tried buying SIM cards from different operators -- before giving up.

For Afghanistan's 48 million people, it became impossible to send news to their relatives or receive precious remittances from abroad to pay their bills.