HERAT: The Taliban detained several women in Afghanistan’s western Herat province on Friday for failing to comply with the group’s dress code, according to local sources cited by Afghanistan International.
Sources said at least two patrol vehicles belonging to the Taliban’s Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice were seen on Herat’s 64-Metre Road, where several women were taken into custody and moved to an undisclosed location.
The road, also known locally as Juma Bazaar, is a busy area where new and second-hand household goods are auctioned every Friday.
Images obtained by Afghanistan International showed two Taliban vehicles transporting a number of detained women from the area. The exact number of women taken into custody remains unclear.
The latest detentions come amid a wider wave of arrests targeting women in Herat since mid-June.
Residents of Jebrail township protested earlier this month against the detentions, chanting “Education, Work, Freedom” and “Woman, Life, Freedom.”
Taliban forces dispersed the protest by opening fire and beating demonstrators, according to local accounts. At least two teenage boys were killed and more than 20 people were injured. Several protesters were also detained.
Days later, another group of Herat residents gathered outside the Taliban governor’s office, again demanding an end to the detention of women and calling for the restoration of education and work rights.
Before the protest began, the Taliban deployed armed personnel and military vehicles across the city. Forces later fired on the crowd and detained several participants.
The crackdown has triggered demonstrations in nearly 30 cities worldwide, where Afghans and women’s rights supporters urged governments not to normalise relations with the Taliban.
