Taliban advise Afghan women to work from home because they are ‘untrained’ to respect them

Kabul: Nearly two weeks after taking control of Afghanistan, the Taliban has recognized that Afghan women are not safe under the present rule and has urged them to work from home.

Speaking at a news conference, Taliban spokesperson Zabiullah Mujahid stated that women should not go to work for their own protection, undermining the group’s efforts to persuade international observers that the group would be more accepting of women than when it was in control.

According to CNN, Mujahid stated that the action was required since the Taliban “continue to change and are not adequately trained.” When it was in power from 1996 to 2001, the terrorist group barred Afghan women from working, forbade them from leaving the house alone, and required them to cover their entire bodies.

The Taliban’s new strategy comes after the World Bank halted funding in Afghanistan, citing concerns about women’s safety, and just hours after the UN called for a “transparent and prompt investigation” into reports of human rights abuses since the Taliban’s takeover, dealing another blow to an economy that is heavily reliant on foreign aid.

Meanwhile, the Taliban has promised a more moderate age, but Taliban commanders have refused to guarantee that women’s rights will not be eroded, and many have already endured violence.

The Taliban also warned on Tuesday that the US must meet its withdrawal deadline next week, adding that they are “no longer allowing the evacuation of Afghans,” however a source familiar with the situation claimed that the apparent embargo had not yet had a detectable effect on arrivals at Kabul airport.

Certain priority local Afghans will receive assistance in the coming hours, according to the source, however some applications for the Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) program – an avenue for Afghans who worked for US military and organizations to leave the country – would have to wait.

According to the Pentagon, 19,000 refugees have fled Afghanistan in the previous 24 hours, including 11,200 individuals flying aboard 42 US military planes and another 7,800 evacuated by coalition partners.

A hurried Western evacuation operation at Kabul International Airport has been the sole chance for many Afghans to flee the country in recent days, and queues outside the facility have grown since the insurgents took command.