Taliban Spokesperson Urges Women To Stay Indoors As Fighters Not Trained Enough To Respect Them: Report

The early signs though seems not be encouraging as a Taliban spokesman has said that women should, at least for now, because some of the militants have not yet been trained not to hurt them.

Taliban firing on protesters in Jalalabad city. (Picture Credit: Pajhwok Afghan News)

New York: The Taliban, which last ruled Afghanistan in the late 1990s, confined women to their homes. The insurgent group has, however, since talking control of Afghanistan stressed their approach will be different this time.

The early signs though seems not be encouraging as a Taliban spokesman has said that women should, at least for now, because some of the militants have not yet been trained not to hurt them.

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Calling it a “temporary” policy intended to protect women until the Taliban could ensure their safety, spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid called it a “temporary” policy intended to protect women until the Taliban could ensure their safety.

“We are worried our forces who are new and have not been yet trained very well may mistreat women,” The New York Times quoted Mujahid as saying.

“We don’t want our forces, God forbid, to harm or harass women,” he added.

The Taliban spokesman further said that women should stay home “until we have a new procedure”, adding that “their salaries will paid in their homes”.

Mujahid’s statement was in tune with the earlier remarks from Ahmadullah Waseq, the deputy of the Taliban’s cultural affairs committee, who told The New York Times earlier this week that the Taliban had “no problem with working women” as long as they wore hijabs.

He, however, added “for now, we are asking them to stay home until the situation gets normal” while stressing “now it is a military situation”.