Taliban enforces use of burqa for women

KABUL: The Taliban has imposed one of the harshest restrictions on Afghanistan’s women since seizing power, ordering them to wear the all-covering burqa in public.

The supreme leader and Taliban chief Hibatullah Akhundzada announced the strict dress code for women when they appear in public at the weekend in Kabul.

The militants took control of the country in August last year, promising a softer rule than their last stint in power between 1996 and 2001, but they have already imposed a slew of restrictions on women.

The order is expected to spark a flurry of condemnation abroad.

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