Taliban Supreme Leader Orders Women To Wear Burqa In Public In Afghanistan

's supreme leader

and head of the Taliban has ordered all women to wear the

, a full-covering veil, in public, imposing

since Islamists seized power in August .

.

"They will have to wear a chador (a term that is also used to designate the

or veil from head to toe, ndlr) because it is traditional and respectful," indicates a decree signed by

and released by the Taliban authorities in a event in Kabul.

"Women

must cover their faces when confronted with a man who is not a member of their family," to avoid provocation, the decree adds.

If you don't have an important task to do outside,

.

The Taliban had also imposed the use of the burqa during its first period in power between 1996 and 2001, marked by

, in accordance with its ultra-rigorous interpretation of Sharia, Islamic law.

Having seized power in mid-August, ending a 20-year occupation by the United States and its allies, which had driven them out in 2001, the Taliban

this time.

But they soon reneged on their promises,

and wiping out 20 years of women's freedom.

They are now largely excluded from government jobs and prohibited from traveling alone.

In March, the Taliban

, just hours after their long-announced reopening.

This unexpected change in attitude, which was not justified except to say that girls' education must be done in accordance with

, shocked the international community.

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