Local sources in Badakhshan report that a woman was severely beaten by Taliban fighters and taken to a hospital for treatment.
The incident occurred on Saturday at a Taliban checkpoint along the Badakhshan–Takhar route. According to sources, the Taliban stopped a family, forced them out of their vehicle, and began conducting body searches.
Witnesses say the fighters demanded that the women remove parts of their coverings for inspection. When one woman objected to this treatment, she was violently beaten.
Images obtained from the scene show Taliban fighters attacking the woman with whips and the butts of their rifles.
Human rights experts at the United Nations have repeatedly stated that Taliban policies and acts of violence against women constitute gender apartheid.
