Taliban says it will allow women

The Taliban movement issued a decree Tuesday that allows women, in a measure meant to combat accusations of extremism, and which permits the existence of women of all shapes, sizes, skin colors and heights.

The Taliban said in a statement that the decision was active from the moment it was published, and urged all citizens who own a woman to register her and obtain an owner’s license from the nearest government department within two weeks. Any unregistered woman will be detained even if she is in the company of her owner.

The movement said any attack on the principle of women’s continued existence is to be considered an individual offence that is rejected by the leadership.

“An ownership license is a grave responsibility,” the Taliban said in a statement. “It means the owner must protect the woman at home away from cameras, so they don’t end up as posters on storefront windows.”