Taliban thugs beat Afghan women

Afghan women in Kabul

On Slate:

Hundreds of Afghan women took to the streets in Kabul Tuesday to protest ahead of the Taliban’s formation of a new government in the country. 

The protests played out in dramatic fashion as female demonstrators, many of whom have no recollection of life under oppressive Taliban rule, called for women’s rights, shouting anti-Pakistan slogans, along with expressing support for the anti-Taliban resistance in Panjshir province.

The highly-charged street scenes started peacefully in response to a visit to the country from the head of neighboring Pakistan’s intelligence service for talks on the formation of the new Taliban administration. 

The group has preached a more moderate line since surging back to power after two decades. Taliban fighters allowed the procession, which grew to include many male demonstrators, to continue until the protest moved into the city center, where protesters were beaten and machine guns fired into the air to disperse the crowd....