Two women were killed and several others wounded in Kabul on Tuesday during a rare public protest against the Taliban’s escalating restrictions on female education and employment. Witnesses reported that security forces opened fire on a crowd of around 50 demonstrators who had gathered outside a former university building in the western part of the city. The protest, one of the largest since the Taliban regained control in August 2021, was dispersed within minutes.
The Ministry of Interior confirmed the use of “necessary force” against what it described as an “unauthorised gathering” but denied that live ammunition was used. Unverified footage circulating on social media shows uniformed men firing into the air and striking protesters with batons. The incident comes days after the Taliban announced a ban on women attending private universities and ordered all female NGO workers to remain at home.
International condemnation has been swift. The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) called for an immediate investigation. The British Foreign Office summoned the Taliban’s acting ambassador in London, though the regime has no formal diplomatic recognition.
Analysts view the protest as a rare, albeit risky, assertion of civil society in a climate of growing repression. The Taliban’s crackdown on women’s rights has been steadily tightening since last year, when girls were barred from secondary education. The decision to halt university access for women has prompted a wave of outrage among international donors and aid organisations, many of whom have suspended operations in the country.
The protest’s deadly outcome signals the Taliban’s unwillingness to tolerate dissent, even as it seeks legitimacy abroad. For now, the regime appears content to enforce its interpretation of Sharia law through violence, further isolating Afghanistan from the international community.
