Heavy security on Herat streets amid deadly crackdown against women

Independent experts noted that Taliban forces allegedly fired on men, women, and children on Tuesday, administering beatings to some. Among the two reported dead was a boy, and more than 20 others were injured. Local police denied that any wea­pons were used during the demonstration and accused the protesters of seeking “to disturb public order.” Taliban authorities rule according to their extreme interpretation of Islamic law. While the hijab or flowing abaya robe is common in many Muslim-majority countries, the Taliban mandate that women must be almost entirely covered when they leave home. This includes a requirement to wear a body-cloaking burqa or chador with a face mask, an interpretation of face-covering that is widely considered extreme. Following calls on social media for further demonstrations against the crackdown after Friday prayers, military vehicles and heavily armed security forces were stationed around the city. Armed police officers patrol­­led on motorcycles, and extra checkpoints were manned by police and intelligence agents. “People gave up on the demons­tration today to prevent more bloodshed,” said a 34-year-old teacher, whom the AFP did not name for safety reasons. “Even the movement of a small number of people from one area became difficult due to these security measures. The atmosphere is very bad.” A 27-year-old resident described the heavy security presence as horrible. “On every street there is a sus­­picious private car with (peo­­ple wearing) casual clothing, sitting in their cars and observing peopl