The United States government issued a strong warning against the Taliban after the terrorist group, which is currently in control of Afghanistan's government, announced the ban on girls from elementary schools.
Furthermore, the announcement of the ban came a day after the insurrection group said that women would no longer be allowed to attend public or private universities. The recent bans have quickly received criticism from other parties, including Western governments and human rights groups.
Taliban's Ban on Girls' Education
Even some countries that are frequently criticized over misogynistic policies, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates, have urged the Taliban terrorist group to reverse their bans.
United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Thursday that widespread criticism was crucial and that the U.S. was already working with various partners to hold the Taliban accountable for its decision. However, the American official refused to preview any action that could be taken against the group.
Blinken said that the latest criticisms were a course of condemnation of the Taliban's decision, including from some Muslim countries around the world. He added that the U.S. and other nations that they are in talks with will hand out costs if the terrorist group does not reverse the bans, as per ABC News.
However, despite widespread criticism, Afghanistan's de-facto rulers seem to be undeterred by other countries that are urging them to reverse their bans. There were also reports that the terrorist group was already taking initial, brutal steps to enforce the newly-installed policies.
The Taliban on Thursday reportedly forced teenage Afghan girls from a private education center, with one student saying that the girls who were studying there were beaten.
According to the Voice of America News, during a Monday briefing, U.S. State Department spokesperson Ned Price said that they are not prepared to improve relations with the Taliban until and unless the terrorist group begins to uphold its commitments made to the people of their country.
Relations With Other Global Governments
The Taliban took control of the Afghan government in August 2021 after the American government completely withdrew all of its military personnel from the nation. Following that move, the terrorist group made several commitments to the people of Afghanistan and the rest of the world.
They said that they would counter terrorism threats, form an "inclusive Islamic" government, and respect and uphold human rights, especially those for women in the country. But despite a year of being in control, the Taliban has failed to gain recognition from any country for their so-called Islamic Emirate.
In general, the U.S. and the global community said they would not recognize any government in Kabul that was imposed by force. The decision is fueled by fears that the Taliban ruling would prolong the Afghan civil war and threaten human rights within the nation.
During an end-of-the-year news conference in Washington, D.C., Blinken said that what the Taliban has done is try to sentence Afghan women and girls to a dark future without opportunity. The American official said that the bottom line was that no nation would succeed, much less thrive, if it continues to deny half of its people the opportunity to contribute, Al Jazeera reported.
Related Article: Russia-Ukraine War: Zelensky Declares Kyiv Forces 'Working Toward Victory' as He Returns From US Visit
