The solidarity shown by some Afghan men draws parallels with neighbouring Iran, where months of protests continue to simmer following the death of a 22-year-old woman in police custody in September after she was arrested for allegedly flouting Islamic dress codes by the country’s so-called morality police. The outcry, largely led by girls and women, has garnered support from thousands of men.

 

The Taliban Minister of Higher Education Neda Mohammad Nadeem – one of its most conservative members – late on Tuesday announced the ban on women attending university.

 

Members of the militant group wasted no time in enforcing the decree. At one point on Wednesday, a female student reported that Taliban members pointed guns at them to prevent their entry into a Kabul campus.