A women’s rights protest in Kabul turned lethal this morning when armed men opened fire on a crowd of demonstrators, killing at least five and wounding dozens, according to hospital sources. The attack comes just hours after the UK government announced a new visa scheme aimed at evacuating female judges and doctors from Afghanistan, a tacit admission that the country is no longer safe for professional women.
The protest, organised by the Afghan Women’s Movement, had gathered outside the former Ministry of Women’s Affairs building. Witnesses described a peaceful assembly of around 200 women chanting for equal rights and access to education. Then the gunfire started. ‘They came in two black SUVs, no number plates, and just started shooting,’ said a survivor who spoke on condition of anonymity. ‘They were targeting the women with placards, the ones leading the chants.’
No group has claimed responsibility, but sources in Kabul point to the Taliban’s intelligence wing, known for its brutal suppression of dissent. The Taliban’s official spokesman denied involvement, calling the protest ‘illegal’ but stopping short of endorsing violence. The UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan condemned the attack and called for an independent investigation, which is unlikely given the Taliban’s control over the security apparatus.
Meanwhile, in London, the Home Office released details of a new ‘Afghan Women’s Resettlement Scheme’ specifically for female judges and doctors. Under the plan, up to 500 women and their immediate families will be granted expedited visas to the UK. Home Secretary James Cleverly said the move was necessary to protect ‘the brightest and bravest’ Afghan women from Taliban persecution. ‘We cannot stand by while women who served the cause of justice and health are hunted down,’ he said in a statement.
But critics call the scheme a drop in the ocean. More than 1,000 female judges remain in hiding in Afghanistan, according to the International Association of Women Judges. The UK’s offer covers just half that number, and only if they can make it to a third country for visa processing. ‘This is a PR stunt, not a rescue plan,’ said a former UK diplomat who worked on Afghan evacuation efforts. ‘The hard part is getting people out. The Taliban control the borders. This scheme helps those already in Pakistan or Iran, not the women trapped inside.’
Documents obtained by this newsroom show that the UK Foreign Office has been in talks with Qatar and the UAE about setting up transit hubs for Afghan refugees, but no deal has been finalised. The US, which has a similar programme, has evacuated fewer than 100 female judges since the Taliban takeover. ‘The numbers are shameful,’ said a senior UNHCR official. ‘We are talking about months of paperwork for a crisis that is killing people now.’
The timing of the UK announcement, so close to the deadly protest, raises uncomfortable questions. Was the scheme fast-tracked in response to the violence? Did the Home Office know something ahead of time? A Foreign Office spokesperson denied any advance warning, insisting the plan had been in development for weeks.
For the women on the streets of Kabul, the semantics of visa applications mean nothing. ‘They are killing us while you talk about forms,’ said the protest survivor, her voice breaking. ‘We need flights, not paperwork.’
As dusk fell over the city, the bodies of the slain were carried away by family members. The Taliban’s night patrols began, their headlights sweeping the streets for any sign of further dissent. The women who survived have gone into hiding, their phones off, their hopes pinned on a visa scheme that may never reach them.
