Taliban use tear gas against protest women

At least one woman was reportedly injured.

A video distributed in social media showed how a woman bleeds from a wound to her head.

Afghan women have held protests over the past two days, demanding equality, justice and democracy.

A similar gathering was held earlier this week in the western city of Herat.

On September 4th, women protesters gathered in front of the presidential palace in Kabul and held banners writing: “We are not women from the 1990s”.

The images published in social media showed how women faced armed Taliban.

Some women could be seen coughing from tear gas, while others said they had been beaten.

The militant group has said it will respect women's rights, according to Islamic-Zeritit law rules.

A senior Taliban leader, Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanekzai, told the BBC on August 31st that he did not think women would be appointed to high positions in their government, but said they would have a role.

The Taliban ruled Afghanistan between 1996 and 2001. They did not allow women to work, girls were not allowed to attend school, and women had to cover their faces and be accompanied by a male relative if they wanted to leave their homes.

Those who broke the rules were sometimes sentenced to public beatings by the Taliban religious police.

After taking over Afghanistan after 20 years of foreign military presence, the Taliban are now under observation by Western leaders if they have changed, including the way they treat girls and women.

Many countries and organisations have expressed doubts about the Taliban's promises that they will rule differently this time around. / REL