An Afghan woman holds her passport at Kabul International Airport, Afghanistan September 9, 2021. WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS
KABUL, March 27 – The Taliban have told airlines in Afghanistan that women cannot board domestic or international flights without a male escort, two sources told Reuters on Sunday.
The move comes after the Taliban reversed its earlier commitment to open secondary schools for girls, a reversal that shocked many Afghans and was condemned by humanitarian organizations and foreign governments.
The United States on Friday canceled scheduled meetings with Taliban officials on key economic issues based on Wednesday’s decision. Continue reading
The sources, who are not named for safety reasons, said the Ministry for Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice sent airlines a letter on Saturday informing them of the new restrictions.
They added that unaccompanied women who had already booked tickets would be allowed to travel on Sunday and Monday. Some women with tickets were turned away at Kabul airport on Saturday, sources said.
Spokesmen for the Ministry for Promoting Virtue and Preventing Vice and the Ministry for Culture and Information did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
A spokesman for the Taliban administration had previously said that women traveling abroad for study purposes should be accompanied by a male relative.
The Taliban say they have changed since their previous rule from 1996 to 2001, when they prohibited women from education, work or leaving home without a male relative. They say they grant women their rights in accordance with Islamic law and Afghan culture.
However, the closure of high schools, along with some restrictions on working women and requiring women to have a companion when traveling long-distance, has drawn criticism from many Afghan women’s and rights groups.
It was not initially clear whether the restrictions on air travel would allow exceptions, such as in emergencies or for women with no living male relatives in the country, and whether they would apply to foreign nationals or women with dual citizenship.
The international community has yet to officially recognize the Taliban government, and sanctions enforcement has crippled the country’s banking sector, which, combined with cuts in development funding, has plunged the country into a humanitarian crisis.
Reporting by Kabul Newsroom and Charlotte Greenfield Editing by Raissa Kasolowsky