Residents say women were arrested despite wearing Islamic head coverings, amid renewed concerns over restrictions on Afghan women's rights.

By The South Asia Times

KABUL - At least nine women have been detained by Taliban morality enforcers in the western Afghan city of Herat over the past two days in what residents and local sources describe as a renewed crackdown on the group's dress code and public conduct rules, Amu TV reported.

According to four local sources cited by the broadcaster, the women were detained in the 64-Meter area, Marmar Market and Bakrabad neighborhoods. The sources said the women were wearing Islamic head coverings when they were taken into custody and questioned by officials from the Taliban's morality enforcement agency. The Taliban had not publicly commented on the reported arrests.

Residents told Amu TV that fear among women has grown as morality patrols increase in public areas. One Herat resident, speaking anonymously for security reasons, said women are increasingly reluctant to leave their homes.

"They harass women everywhere under the pretext of enforcing morality," the resident said. "Women are being detained, intimidated and subjected to psychological abuse, yet no one is listening."

Another resident said four women were detained outside Herat's Marble Market on Monday despite wearing hijab. "They were wearing hijab. They were taken simply because they were wearing long coats," the resident told Amu TV.

The broadcaster also cited residents in Kabul and Mazar-i-Sharif as saying morality police have stepped up street patrols and inspections in recent weeks, although those claims could not be independently verified.

In Panjshir province, sources told Amu TV that Taliban morality officials recently instructed female doctors at the Emergency Hospital that they would only be allowed to continue working if they wore a burqa. If confirmed, the directive would add to a series of restrictions imposed on women working in Afghanistan's health sector.

Since returning to power in August 2021, the Taliban have barred women from secondary and higher education, including medical faculties, restricted many forms of employment, and imposed increasingly stringent rules governing dress, travel and public life.

The United Nations and international human rights organizations have repeatedly criticized the measures, saying they represent some of the world's harshest restrictions on women's rights.

Former detainees have also described prolonged interrogations, psychological pressure and detention without access to lawyers or family members. Parisa Azada, a former detainee quoted by Amu TV, said she spent 42 days in Taliban custody and alleged that many women were imprisoned despite committing no crime.

The latest reported detentions follow similar incidents in Herat, Kabul and Farah in recent months. In June, Taliban authorities reportedly detained at least 30 women in Herat over what they described as violations of the group's hijab regulations, reflecting an intensified campaign to enforce its interpretation of Islamic morality.