Taliban ban women from boarding flights without male companions
Two officials from Afghanistan's Ariana Afghan airline and Kam Air reported late Sunday that the Taliban had told them not to board ladies travelling alone. The decision was made during a meeting on Thursday involving representatives from the Taliban, the two airlines, and airport immigration authorities, officials told AFP on condition of anonymity.
FollowAccording to aviation officials in Afghanistan, the Taliban has instructed airlines to exclude women from boarding planes unless accompanied by a male relative. The latest limitation on women comes only hours after all girls' secondary schools were permitted to resume for the first time since the hardline Islamists took control in August.
Two officials from Afghanistan's Ariana Afghan airline and Kam Air reported late Sunday that the Taliban had told them not to board ladies travelling alone. The decision was made during a meeting on Thursday involving representatives from the Taliban, the two airlines, and airport immigration authorities, officials told AFP on condition of anonymity.
Since the Taliban's return to power, many restrictions on women's rights have been reinstated, frequently at the discretion of provincial officials from the Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice.
According to the government, no order prohibiting women from flying alone has been issued. However, a letter given by an Ariana Afghan top executive to the airline's personnel following the meeting with the Taliban, a copy of which was acquired by AFP, confirmed the new action.
"No women are permitted to fly on any domestic or international aircraft without the presence of a male relative," the letter stated. The Taliban has already prohibited women travelling alone from doing intercity car excursions, although they have previously been allowed to fly. The Taliban have promised a gentler version of the harsh Islamist rule that marked their previous tenure in office from 1996 to 2001.
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However, since August, they have reversed two decades of achievements won by Afghan women. Women have been barred from most government employment and secondary school education, and are required to dress in accordance with a rigid interpretation of the Koran. Tens of thousands of girls returned to school on Wednesday when schools reopened, but administrators sent them home mere hours later, sparking international outcry. Authorities have yet to provide a clear explanation for the policy shift.
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