Afghan women continue marching even as Taliban fighters point guns in their faces in a new video shared online.
Jordan Bryon, a filmmaker based in Afghanistan, shared the footage on his Instagram and Twitter accounts on Wednesday alongside the caption: “Another epic #KabulProtest with #Afghanwomen refusing to stop marching when facing off with #Talibs.”
He added that the protest – primarily against the new all-male Taliban cabinet primarily made up of the militants’ loyalists – “ended with extreme gunfire”.
The militants announced the new Taliban government on Tuesday. It showed they were already reneging on the promises they made about being a more inclusive, moderate force just three weeks before when they first took control of Afghanistan.
The demonstrations are particularly astounding as the Taliban are notorious for their suppression of both women and dissidents in general.
The militants also decided to take their crackdown further on Wednesday by banning any demonstrations that do not have official Taliban approval either for the mass gathering or for any slogans they might use.
The decree issued by the interior minister Sirajuddin Haqqani, also wanted by the FBI on terrorism charges, stated demonstrators should seek permission before protests or endure “severe legal consequences”.
On his Instagram page, Bryon explained it was a “death to Pakistan protest”.
He claimed: “Despite being confronted with a situation they’ve absolutely never had to deal with before, the Talibs escorting the protestors who were rampaging through #Kabul did well at keeping their cool ... Until they lost it ...
It just takes one idiot Talib to fire one shot, and then they all start hammering their triggers.
“Before that though, the Talibs tried to non–violently stop the protestors several times, but they just kept ploughing through them – which actually made some of the Talibs smile. Other Talibs were less thrilled by the experience.
“It’s in the video but my favourite moment of the day was when some Talibs got mobbed by a mob of women protestors and couldn’t hold them back.
“But the protest ended ugly. My wingman @farzad_fetrat got beaten up and arrested. I couldn’t find him for hours. And when I did, a burly Talib commander deleted Farzad’s entire photo album from his phone and slapped him VERY hard in the face.”
Concerns over the treatment of women in the Taliban-led country have been at an all-time high in recent weeks.
A female judge, Marzia Babakarkhail, fled Afghanistan more than 20 years ago. She told HuffPost UK that the Taliban has “not changed” and that women who have been protesting on the streets now believe the militants will punish them.
Jordan Bryon, a filmmaker based in Afghanistan, shared the footage on his Instagram and Twitter accounts on Wednesday alongside the caption: “Another epic #KabulProtest with #Afghanwomen refusing to stop marching when facing off with #Talibs.”
He added that the protest – primarily against the new all-male Taliban cabinet primarily made up of the militants’ loyalists – “ended with extreme gunfire”.
The militants announced the new Taliban government on Tuesday. It showed they were already reneging on the promises they made about being a more inclusive, moderate force just three weeks before when they first took control of Afghanistan.
The demonstrations are particularly astounding as the Taliban are notorious for their suppression of both women and dissidents in general.
The militants also decided to take their crackdown further on Wednesday by banning any demonstrations that do not have official Taliban approval either for the mass gathering or for any slogans they might use.
The decree issued by the interior minister Sirajuddin Haqqani, also wanted by the FBI on terrorism charges, stated demonstrators should seek permission before protests or endure “severe legal consequences”.
On his Instagram page, Bryon explained it was a “death to Pakistan protest”.
He claimed: “Despite being confronted with a situation they’ve absolutely never had to deal with before, the Talibs escorting the protestors who were rampaging through #Kabul did well at keeping their cool ... Until they lost it ...
It just takes one idiot Talib to fire one shot, and then they all start hammering their triggers.
“Before that though, the Talibs tried to non–violently stop the protestors several times, but they just kept ploughing through them – which actually made some of the Talibs smile. Other Talibs were less thrilled by the experience.
“It’s in the video but my favourite moment of the day was when some Talibs got mobbed by a mob of women protestors and couldn’t hold them back.
“But the protest ended ugly. My wingman @farzad_fetrat got beaten up and arrested. I couldn’t find him for hours. And when I did, a burly Talib commander deleted Farzad’s entire photo album from his phone and slapped him VERY hard in the face.”
Concerns over the treatment of women in the Taliban-led country have been at an all-time high in recent weeks.
A female judge, Marzia Babakarkhail, fled Afghanistan more than 20 years ago. She told HuffPost UK that the Taliban has “not changed” and that women who have been protesting on the streets now believe the militants will punish them.
