Taliban Police Open Fire on Women’s Protest in Herat, Two Killed
Taliban police in the western Afghan city of Herat used live ammunition to disperse a rare street protest demanding the release of women detained under accusations of improper hijab use.
Medics in the area have reported two deaths, though official police statements deny any fatalities. The exact cause of death and identities of the deceased remain undisclosed.
The protest erupted days after local Taliban officials reportedly began arresting women seen wearing hijabs out of compliance with the regime’s new dress code.
Witnesses said police opened fire, used sticks and whips, and fired shots into the air to break up the crowd. A protester relayed, “They used sticks, whips, and firearms to disperse the crowd and even fired shots into the air.”
A photographer noted that security forces struck protesters and fired weapons directly at the crowd, confirming that many were injured.
The Taliban’s Herat police commander, Sayed Masoud Hosseini, described the demonstrators as having “acted in a manner that disturbed public order” and accused them of provoking tension under the guise of hijab-related grievances.
In a clip recorded during the unrest, women chanting “education, work, freedom” were heard pleading for restraint.
The United Nations’ special rapporteur on Afghanistan, Richard Bennett, expressed alarm at the excessive use of force in Herat and called for accountability.
This incident follows a period of rare public dissent against the Taliban, whose mandatory hijab rule was imposed in May 2022. Initial attempts by Afghan women to challenge strict dress and educational restrictions have largely been suppressed through beatings, arrests and even threats of execution.
The crackdown in Herat reportedly began abruptly on Friday, and reports of women being arrested for not wearing the hijab surfaced the following day. Market stalls have been left deserted as officers from the Ministry for Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice check cars and rickshaws for hijab compliance.
