Afghanistan’s Taliban order women to cover up head to toe

By KATHY GANNON
Associated Press

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — Afghanistan’s Taliban leadership has ordered all Afghan women to wear all-covering clothing in public, and threatened to punish their male relatives in cases of noncompliance. The decree Saturday evoked similar restrictions on women during the Taliban’s previous hard-line rule between 1996 and 2001. The Taliban earlier decided against reopening schools to girls above grade 6, reneging on an earlier promise and opting to appease their hard-line base at the expense of further alienating the international community. That decision disrupted efforts by the Taliban to win recognition from potential international donors at a time when the country is mired in a worsening humanitarian crisis.