The Taliban’s minister of higher education, Muhammad Nadeem, said on Sunday that “if they drop an atomic bomb on us, we will not back down” from the decision to ban university education for women.
He added: “We are ready for the sanctions imposed on us by the international community.”
European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell condemned on Sunday The Taliban’s decision to ban women from working in non-governmental organizations national and international in Afghanistan.
Borrell said in a statement that the European Union, as one of the largest providers of humanitarian aid and basic needs to the Afghan people, calls on the Taliban to immediately reverse its decision, as part of its commitment to respect the law and principles international humanitarians.
The statement added that the European Union will assess the impact of the decision on continuing to provide assistance to the Afghan people.
And three foreign relief organizations announced on Sunday that they would suspend their work in Afghanistan after the Taliban ordered all non-governmental organizations to prevent their female employees from working, according to a statement.
“Pending clarity on this announcement, we will suspend our programming, asking men and women equally to continue to deliver our life-saving assistance to Afghanistan,” reads the joint statement released by Save the Children, the Norwegian Refugee Council. and CARE.
The Taliban issued orders to Afghan non-governmental organizations on Saturday to prevent them from hiring women, without specifying whether this includes foreign workers. The movement has justified the decision by not following the proper dress code, including the hijab, and has threatened to suspend the licenses of organizations that fail to implement the decision. The move has sparked condemnation from the international community and fears over its impact on aid delivery, and is part of a series of decisions made by the movement that curtail the freedom and rights of women in the country.
