As the Taliban seized cities, they sent women home

The Taliban told female employees at some banks to not return to their jobs, raising concerns over their futures.

In early July, as Taliban fighters were seizing territory from government forces across Afghanistan, some of them walked into the offices of Azizi Bank in Kandahar and ordered nine women working there to leave. The gunmen escorted them to their homes and told them not to return to their jobs. Instead, they explained that male relatives could take their place, according to three of the women involved and the bank’s manager. “It’s really strange to not be allowed to get to work, but now this is what it is,” Noor Khatera, a 43-year-old woman who worked in the accounts department of Azizi Bank told Reuters.