Taliban forces reportedly fired shots to break up a peaceful march for women's rights on the streets of Kabul in the first such rally in months:
/Taliban fighters beat women protesters and fired into the air on Saturday as they violently dispersed a rare rally in the Afghan capital, days ahead of the first anniversary of the hardline Islamists' return to power.
Some women protesters who took refuge in nearby shops were chased and beaten by Taliban fighters with their rifle butts. After seizing control last year, the Taliban promised a softer version of the harsh Islamist rule that characterised their first stint in power from 1996 to 2001. In May, the country's supreme leader and chief of the Taliban, Hibatullah Akhundzada, ordered women to cover themselves in public fully, including their faces — ideally with an all-encompassing burqa.Australian journalist detained by the Taliban says regime's treatment of her showed its 'true face'
These policies show a "pattern of absolute gender segregation and are aimed at making women invisible in the society", Richard Bennett, UN special rapporteur on human rights in Afghanistan, told reporters in Kabul during a visit in May.
Australia Latest News, Australia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Taliban cleric killed in Kabul by blast from explosives hidden in an artificial legA prominent Taliban cleric and supporter of women's education has been killed in an attack at a seminary in Kabul, according to officials and Taliban sources.
Read more »
Female protesters beaten by Taliban fighters during rare Kabul rallyShots fired into air and rifle butts used to attack dozens of women protesting outside Afghan education ministry
Read more »
Afghan-Australians criticise Australian academic for 'praising' his former Taliban captors in KabulTimothy Weeks has returned to Afghanistan where he was held hostage by the Taliban, praising his former captors for marking one year in power.
Read more »
A year since fleeing Kabul: ‘Now my children can grow up in peace’The withdrawal of allied troops from Afghanistan a year ago led to desperate scenes as refugees tried to escape the Taliban. One man tells his family’s story
Read more »
‘They’d come to kill me’: The Afghan tax reformer hunted by the Taliban and abandoned by the Britain he servedA year after the fall of Kabul, Abdullah Sayyid is in hiding, his wife has been murdered and the Home Office appears to have lost his case file
Read more »
Taliban cleric killed in Kabul by blast from explosives hidden in an artificial legA prominent Taliban cleric and supporter of women's education has been killed in an attack at a seminary in Kabul, according to officials and Taliban sources.
Read more »