TALIBAN ACTS ON SECURING AFGHAN WOMEN’S RIGHTS

The Taliban issued a decree Friday in the name of their supreme leader instructing Afghan ministries “to take serious action” on women’s rights, but failed to mention girls’ access to schools.

The move comes after the Islamists seized power in midAugust and as they seek to restore Afghanistan’s access to billions of dollars in assets and aid suspended when the previous, Western-backed regime collapsed in the final stages of a US military withdrawal.

“The Islamic Emirate’s leadership directs all relevant organisations... to take serious action to enforce Women’s Rights,” the decree states, quoting elusive supreme leader Hibatullah Akhundzada. The decree centres on marriage and widows’ rights, stating “no one can force women to marry by coercion or pressure”.