Two reportedly killed as women take part in rare protest in Afghanistan

Taliban constabulary utilized unrecorded occurrence to disperse a uncommon protestation against the detention of women accused of violating strict Islamic formal codes successful the occidental Afghan metropolis of Herat, witnesses and protesters said.

Medics told the BBC 2 radical died, but did not specify how. A fig of others astatine the protestation were injured.

Both men and women had taken to the streets days aft section Taliban authorities officials reportedly began arresting women perceived to beryllium "improperly wearing the hijab".

Police successful Herat denied determination had been immoderate deaths, but person acknowledged they responded to the protest, telling the BBC that officers had "taken enactment to guarantee information and support nationalist order".

It is unclear what methods constabulary utilized to interruption up the protest. Witnesses accidental the constabulary opened fire, but the constabulary did not corroborate this erstwhile asked straight by the BBC.

One protester told AFP that the information forces "used sticks, whips and firearms to disperse the crowd. They adjacent fired shots into the air".

He told the quality bureau helium saw radical wounded. "People are highly frightened," helium said. AFP besides quoted a lensman who said helium had seen information forces "striking protesters and firing weapons successful the absorption of the crowd".

"Based connected what I personally witnessed, a important fig of radical were injured," the lensman said.

The BBC could not independently verify the accounts.

Gunfire tin beryllium intelligibly heard successful videos circulating online, portion women tin beryllium heard screaming "don't bushed [them]".

Sayed Masoud Hosseini, spokesperson for the Herat Police Command, said the protesters "acted successful a mode that disturbed nationalist order".

He added they were trying to "create hostility nether the pretext of protesting issues related to the observance of hijab and opposing Islamic hijab, which is considered a divine obligation".

In 1 clip, immoderate protesters tin beryllium heard chanting "education, work, freedom", the BBC's Afghan work reported.

Richard Bennett, the United Nations' peculiar rapporteur connected the concern of quality rights successful Afghanistan, said connected societal media tract X helium was "alarmed by excessive usage of unit against seemingly peaceful protesters successful Herat today", calling connected those liable to beryllium "held accountable".

Protests against the Taliban, particularly by women, person been uncommon successful Afghanistan since they retook powerfulness successful August 2021.

Initial attempts by women to defy the strict caller rules brought successful to power everything from their apparel to their acquisition petered out, with women telling the BBC they were cowed by officials' effect to their protests - including being beaten, abused, jailed and adjacent threatened with decease by stoning.

The wearing of a hijab is 1 of galore rules brought successful by the Taliban, who made it mandatory successful May 2022.

However, this latest crackdown successful Herat was reportedly lone announced connected Friday.

A fig of eyewitnesses told BBC Afghan that since Saturday they had "seen with their ain eyes women being arrested for not wearing the hijab".

One pistillate said the markets had since been "deserted", portion different told BBC Afghan that officers from the Ministry for Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, the alleged morality police, were checking cars and rickshaws for women wearing the hijab improperly.

City officials person fixed conflicting accounts connected whether oregon not women were being detained, with the Herat Provincial Information and Culture Department saying reports of dozens of arrests were "incorrect and rumoured".