Local sources in Daikundi province say the Taliban have closed down the shops of 150 women entrepreneurs in the city of Nili.
According to the sources, the shops were sealed over the past month, and the owners have been instructed to relocate from the Nili market area to the so-called Family Park.
One source told reporters that local Taliban officials claim the group’s leadership has ordered that women should not be present in public markets.
Women who owned these shops say they cannot afford to rent stalls in the Family Park area. They have stated that if the Taliban provide the stalls for them, they would be willing to move.
According to locals, many of these women relied on their small businesses in Nili’s market to provide for their families.
The Taliban have imposed severe restrictions on women’s education, work, and movement across Afghanistan. Girls above grade six remain barred from school, and women are prohibited from working in government or non-government institution.
The group has also tightened rules on women’s mobility, requiring them to have a male guardian when outside the home and to wear the all-covering chadri.
