Afghan women’s rights ‘would be rolled back’ under Taliban: US

A new intelligence report says women’s rights will be threatened following US troop withdrawal from Afghanistan.

The Taliban “would roll back much” of the progress made in Afghan women’s rights if the fighting group regain national power, according to an assessment released on Tuesday by top US intelligence analysts.

The US National Intelligence Council report will likely reinforce fears that the Taliban will resume the harsh treatment that women and girls suffered under their 1996-2001 rule should the group prevail in a full-blown civil war.

“The Taliban remains broadly consistent in its restrictive approach to women’s rights and would roll back much of the past two decades of progress if the group regains national power,” said the US intelligence community’s top analytical body.

At the same time, the council’s “Sense of the Community Memorandum” said women’s rights would likely be threatened after the US-led military coalition withdraws, a finding reflecting the conservative nature of Afghanistan’s male-dominated society.