Taliban fighters put an end to a march of Afghan women after their members began firing into the air.
The march began peacefully in the Afghan capital, Kabul, when protesters first went to the country’s Defense Ministry to pay tribute to soldiers who died fighting the Taliban.
“We are here to win human rights in Afghanistan,” said Maryam Naiby, a 20-year-old protester, the Associated Press reported. “I love my country. I will always be here. “
Things got ugly after the women marched into the presidential palace. After initially trying to engage with the protesters, the forced Taliban rushed the crowd and fired into the air. They also fired tear gas and sent the women to flee.
While the Taliban have promised a more open and inclusive government than when they ruled the country more than twenty years ago, many remain skeptical.
“I’m the voice of women who can’t speak.” Farhat Popalzai, another protester, told the wiring service. “They think this is a man’s country, but it’s not, it’s also a woman’s country.”
The Taliban are still in talks with their own members and other Afghan notables about what the final structure of the government will be like and divisions have reportedly opened between them.