Taliban morality police have detained dozens of young women in the Qala-e-Fathullah and Kote Sangi neighbourhoods of Kabul in a continued crackdown on alleged violations of the group’s dress code.
Sources told Afghanistan International that the detentions took place on Friday and Saturday, with women being removed from restaurants, streets, and shopping centres and transported to unknown locations.
Eyewitnesses reported that Taliban officers used physical force during the arrests and said no female officers were present during the operations.
In Qala-e-Fathullah, women were reportedly taken into custody without explanation, with officers entering public venues and forcibly detaining them. In Kote Sangi, sources described women being beaten before being forced into vehicles.
The arrests are part of a broader campaign by the Taliban’s Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, which has been targeting women in several Kabul neighbourhoods in recent days.
Earlier last week, nearly 100 women were detained in the Shahr-e Naw and Dasht-e Barchi areas of Kabul under similar circumstances. Reports indicate that some women were apprehended in markets, streets, and even hospitals, with no formal charges disclosed.
Residents in other areas, including Reg Rishan and Taimani, have also reported increased Taliban patrols and further detentions of women.
The Taliban have not issued an official statement regarding the reasons for the latest arrests.
