Taliban Fire Shots To Disperse Women Protesters In Kabul: Report
The Taliban on Thursday violently cracked down on alittle women’s rights demonstration, firing shots into the air and pushing back protesters, AFP journalists witnessed.
A group of six women gathered outside a highschool in eastern Kabul demanding the proper for women to return to lyceum , after the hardline Islamist group excluded them from classes earlier this month.
The women unfurled a banner that read “Don’t break our pens, don’t burn our books, don’t close our schools”, before Taliban guards snatched it from them.
They pushed back the ladies protesters as they tried to continue with the demonstration, while a far off journalist was hit with a rifle and blocked from filming.
A Taliban fighter also released a quick burst of gunfire into the air together with his automatic weapon, AFP journalists saw.
The demonstrators — from a gaggle called the “Spontaneous Movement of Afghan Women Activists” — took refuge inside the varsity .
Taliban guard Mawlawi Nasratullah, who led the group and identified himself because the head of Special Forces in Kabul, said the demonstrators “did not coordinate with security authorities regarding their protest”.
“They have the proper to protest in our country like every other country. But they need to inform the safety institutes before,” he said.
Isolated rallies with women at the forefront were staged in cities round the country after the Taliban seized power, including within the western city of Herat where two people were shot dead.
But protests have dwindled since the govt issued an order that unsanctioned demonstrations and warned of “severe legal action” for violators.
It has been almost fortnight since girls were prevented from getting to lyceum .
The Taliban follow a strict interpretation of shariah that segregates men and ladies , and have also slashed women’s access to figure .
They have said they have to determine the proper conditions before girls can return to the classroom, but many Afghans are sceptical.
