Afghan authorities have deployed military forces in Herat, the capital of the western province of the same name, to contain protests that erupted earlier in the city. TOLO News reported this on Friday, citing sources.
According to the TOLO News channel, the city of Herat and the Dasht-e-Barh district of Kabul have been taken under military control. On Friday morning, local authorities deployed hundreds of soldiers and armored vehicles throughout Herat.
The channel also reported that gunshots were heard in Herat.
The demonstrations erupted after reports that Taliban morality police had detained dozens of women for allegedly not following dress codes. Local residents claim that some of those arrested were actually dressed according to the rules, which caused public discontent.
Witnesses say that not only women but also men participated in the protests - a rare occurrence in today's Afghanistan. The demonstrators chanted slogans for freedom, the right to education and the right to work.
Herat is the second most important economic and cultural center of Afghanistan after Kabul. The city is traditionally considered one of the more liberal and educated regions of the country and has historically been a center of cultural and intellectual life.
That is why many analysts see the current protests as a sign of growing dissatisfaction among the population with the increasingly strict restrictions on women and personal freedoms.