Asma (pseudonym), a young woman recently released from Taliban custody in Kabul, told Afghanistan International that conditions in the Taliban’s security command were “terrifying and inhumane.” Despite wearing full hijab, she was told by Taliban enforcers: “Your arrest is a lesson for you and other women.”
Asma recounted being seized in central Kabul on Wednesday evening while heading home with her uncle. “Two female officers grabbed me from behind,” she said. “I screamed, but they held my arms tightly and told me to get in the van.” When she and her uncle resisted, he was beaten, and she was forcibly taken to the Taliban’s Ministry of Virtue and Vice.
There, Asma found around 50 other women, all detained for allegedly “improper dress.” She insisted her attire was fully compliant, yet was told it was “un-Islamic.” The women were later transferred to the Taliban’s security command, where they spent a harrowing night. “We were trapped in a terrifying place, unable to move,” she said.
The next morning, after family contacts and guarantees, Asma and others were released amid prolonged negotiations. She declined to share further details.
While the Taliban’s Ministry of Virtue and Vice dismissed reports of such arrests as “baseless,” Afghanistan International sources confirmed the campaign was ordered by Mullah Hibatullah, the Taliban leader, and directed by Mullah Shirin, Kandahar’s governor. Prior reports have documented similar mass arrests in Kabul’s Dasht-e-Barchi, Taimani, and Khairkhana areas.
UNAMA, the UN mission in Afghanistan, expressed alarm, warning that these actions deepen women’s isolation, foster fear, and erode public trust.
Source: Afghanistan International
