During their previous rule of Afghanistan in the 1990s, the Taliban had denied girls and women the right to education and barred them from public life. Mabouba Suraj, who heads the Afghan Women’s Network, said she was astounded by the flurry of orders released by the Taliban-run government restricting women and girls. via Associated Press An Afghan man walks past the former Women's Affairs Ministry building in Kabul on Sept. 18. On Friday, the Taliban-run education ministry asked boys from grades six to 12 back to school, starting on Saturday, along with their male teachers. Statements from the Taliban leadership often reflect a willingness to engage with the world, talk of open public spaces for women and girls and protecting Afghanistan’s minorities.

Source: Huffington Post September 18, 2021 15:33 UTC