The Taliban forbid women to travel by air without a male escort

LAST UPDATE: 15:01

The Taliban have told airlines in Afghanistan that women can not board domestic or international flights without a male escort, two sources told Reuters.

The move comes after the Taliban withdrew from their previous commitment to open high schools for girls, a move that shocked many Afghans and led to the condemnation of humanitarian organizations and foreign governments.

The United States on Friday canceled scheduled meetings with Taliban officials on key financial issues due to its decision on Wednesday.

Sources, who were not named for security reasons, said the Ministry of Morality Prevention and Virtue Dissemination sent a letter to the airlines on Saturday informing them of the new restrictions.

They added that unaccompanied women who had already booked tickets could travel on Sunday and Monday. Some women with tickets were rejected at Kabul airport on Saturday, they said.

Representatives of the Ministry of Morality Prevention and Dissemination of Virtue and the Ministry of Culture and Information did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

A Taliban spokesman had previously said that women traveling abroad for study should be accompanied by a male relative.

The Taliban say they have changed since their previous government from 1996 to 2001, when women were barred from studying, working or leaving home without a male relative. They say they allow women to exercise their rights in accordance with Islamic law and Afghan culture.

However, the closure of high schools along with some restrictions on women at work and the requirement for women to be accompanied by long-distance travelers has drawn criticism from many Afghan women and rights groups.

It was not immediately clear whether air travel restrictions would allow exceptions, for example in emergencies or for women who do not have living male relatives in the country and whether they were foreigners or women with dual citizenship.

The international community has so far not formally recognized the Taliban administration, and sanctions have paralyzed the country’s banking sector, which, combined with cuts in development funding, has plunged the country into a humanitarian crisis.

Women are not allowed to visit amusement parks in the capital on the same days as men

The Ministry of Virtue and the Prevention of Corruption of the Taliban today ordered all amusement parks in Kabul to separate visitors on the basis of gender, which means that family members will no longer be able to go to these places together.

According to a schedule issued by the ministry, women are allowed to visit amusement parks where there are theme games and activities in Kabul and adjacent areas from Sunday to Tuesday wearing the Islamic hijab and men only from Wednesday to Saturday.