Taliban bans female NGO staff, jeopardizing aid efforts

FILE PHOTO: A Taliban fighter is seen at the Taliban flag-raising ceremony in Kabul, Afghanistan, March 31, 2022. REUTERS/Ali Khara

KABUL (Reuters) -Afghanistan's Taliban-run administration on Saturday ordered all local and foreign NGOs to stop female employees from working, in a move the United Nations said would hit humanitarian operations just as winter grips a country already in economic crisis.

A letter from the economy ministry, confirmed by spokesperson Abdulrahman Habib, said female employees of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) were not allowed to work until further notice because some had not adhered to the administration's interpretation of Islamic dresscode for women.