A rare protest by women in Kabul turned violent today when Taliban security forces opened fire on the crowd. At least three demonstrators were wounded, sources confirm. The women, carrying signs demanding the right to work and education, were quickly dispersed by gunfire and baton charges.
One witness, speaking on condition of anonymity, described the scene as chaos. 'They didn't warn. They just shot.
' The UK government, through the Foreign Office, issued a terse condemnation. 'We are appalled by reports of live fire against peaceful protesters. The Taliban must respect basic human rights,' a spokesman said.
But words are cheap in a country where the regime has systematically erased women from public life. The protest, held in a neighbourhood near the former Ministry of Women’s Affairs, was organised via encrypted messaging apps. Participants knew the risks.
Yet they came. This is the latest crackdown in a campaign of repression that has seen girls' schools closed, women barred from universities and most jobs, and a strict dress code enforced by morality police. The UN mission in Afghanistan has documented over 500 human rights abuses since the Taliban takeover.
Today's protest is a rare public defiance, but the cost is mounting. The Taliban’s interior ministry denied opening fire, claiming they only used 'warning shots' and 'necessary force' to disperse an illegal gathering. Local journalists report seeing bullet casings at the scene.
The UK’s condemnation is unlikely to change the Taliban’s calculus. They are accustomed to isolation. What remains to be seen is whether this protest will spark wider civil disobedience.
For now, the women of Kabul wait in fear and hope.
