Eyewitnesses from Kabul’s 10th and 13th districts report that since last Wednesday, dozens of young women have been detained by the Taliban’s Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, accused of “improper hijab.” The arrests have sparked widespread condemnation from human rights activists, protesting women, politicians, and opposition groups.

According to local sources in Shahr-e-Naw, part of Police District 10, Taliban officers carried out mass detentions on Wednesday and Thursday last week, targeting young women in the area.

Yesterday as well — Saturday, July 19 — local sources from Dasht-e-Barchi, in Kabul’s 13th district, reported that morality police detained dozens more women at the Resalat bus stop and inside the Barchi City Center shopping mall.

Witnesses say the women were accused of “improper hijab,” arrested violently by male officers, and taken to unknown locations. Videos circulating on social media show scenes of women being forced into vehicles belonging to the Ministry’s agents, capturing the fear and confusion of those detained.

The detentions have intensified anger and fear among Kabul’s residents, as voices continue to rise demanding accountability and justice.