Elsewhere in the country’s third-largest city, Herat, girls joined boys in returning to school, against expectations, but Taliban fighters handed out hijabs and headscarves at the door. In the capital Kabul, a female news anchor interviewed a Taliban official in a TV studio — a sight once thought unimaginable. The Taliban have blamed scattered acts of looting and theft on criminals or people posing as the Taliban, not their fighters. Wearing a long dress and loose headscarf, she said she was met by menacing stares by some of the armed Taliban fighters, while disregarded by others. The senior TV broadcaster in Kabul said Afghan women have made great gains over the years, but she does not think the Taliban accepts those strides.

Source: thestar August 17, 2021 19:30 UTC