Taliban authorities detained at least eight women activists after raiding their location on Sunday night in the capital Kabul.
The activists, according to sources, had gathered in a home in the Khairkhana area, discussing plans for a street protest on Monday when Taliban forces stormed in.
Footage obtained by KabulNow shows moments when two armed Taliban members try to forcibly arrest the women as they resist.
“Don’t take her away,” a woman calls on the Taliban men. “We’re here only as guests.”
Sources indicated that the women activists are members of the Unity and Solidarity Movement of Women in Afghanistan.
Taliban officials have not commented.
The recent arbitrary arrest has sparked widespread condemnation as well as alarmed fear among other activists amid reports of upcoming public protests.
Women’s rights activists have staged a series of protests against Taliban bans on women and girls in Kabul and other provinces, demanding all bans be lifted.
The Taliban authorities have responded by cracking down on protests—beating, detaining, and in many cases torturing protestors. Local and international journalists covering demonstrations have also been arrested and often beaten.
