Taliban Summons 550 Morality Officers as Crackdown on Women Intensifies

DID Press: Taliban’s Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice has summoned 550 morality officers from all 34 provinces to Kabul for a three-day training seminar, a move seen as reinforcing the group’s restrictions on women following recent unrest in western Afghanistan.

According to the ministry, the program will focus on religious guidance, outreach methods, and enforcement procedures. Participants will also receive instruction on a new preacher regulations law recently approved by Hibatullah Akhundzada.

The gathering comes amid growing scrutiny of the ministry’s treatment of women, particularly after protests erupted in the Jebrail district of Herat over the detention of women accused of violating Taliban dress requirements. Taliban forces responded with arrests and gunfire, and reports indicated that two people were killed during the unrest.

The protests sparked solidarity demonstrations in more than 15 cities worldwide, drawing renewed international attention to the Taliban’s policies toward women and girls.

Earlier, Taliban officials in Herat argued that compliance with the group’s dress code had declined in recent months. Local authorities blamed what they described as foreign cultural influences for the trend and defended the enforcement campaign.

The Taliban have also carried out similar detentions in several areas of Kabul, including Shahr-e-Naw, Dasht-e-Barchi, Qala-e-Fathullah, Khair Khana, and Taimani.

Analysts say the nationwide mobilization of morality officers signals that the Taliban are not retreating in response to criticism. Instead, the leadership appears to be strengthening its enforcement apparatus and institutionalizing stricter social controls, particularly over women, a course that could deepen tensions between the authorities and large segments of Afghan society.