The Taliban government has banned women from working for the UN in Afghanistan. 3,000 employees – both men and women – are now asked to stay at home until 5 May.
The latest Taliban restriction is seen as an extension of an earlier ban imposed last December that prevents women from work for national and international NGOs. "The Taliban authorities are trying to force the UN to make a terrible choice between staying and delivering support to the Afghan people and standing by the norms and principles that we are obliged to uphold," the organization's branch in the country said.