Women in rare protest as Taliban outline new government

SMA NEWS – KABUL

The Taliban said on Thursday they were close to forming a new government, as dozens of women held a rare protest for the right to work under a new regime that faces enormous economic hurdles and deep public mistrust.
The announcement of a Cabinet may take place on Friday following afternoon prayers, two Taliban sources told AFP.
Defiant female protesters said they were willing to accept the burqa if their daughters could still go to school under Taliban rule.
“It is our right to have education, work and security,” the group of around 50 female demonstrators chanted, waving placards on the streets of Afghanistan’s western city of Herat. “We are here to ask for our rights,” Fereshta Taheri, one of the demonstrators, told AFP.
“We are even ready to wear burqas if they tell us, but we want the women to go to school and work,” the photographer and artist added.
The Taliban have pledged their leadership will be “inclusive,” but many doubt women will find a place in Afghanistan’s new administration.
“We follow the news, and we don’t see any women in Taliban meetings and gatherings,” said Herat protester Mariam Ebram.
“We were expecting that the government formation would be finalized as soon as possible,” Bilal Karimi, member of the Taliban cultural commission, told Arab News. “Possibly it would be Friday or the upcoming 72 hours.”