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Herat protest dispersed
Taliban forces opened fire on people gathered for a rare protest in Afghanistan’s western Herat province on Tuesday, killing at least one woman and a child, according to CBS News’ partner network BBC.
“- Published Taliban police used live fire to disperse a rare protest against the detention of women accused of violating strict Islamic dress codes in the western Afghan city of Herat, witnesses and protesters said”
The protest was sparked by the recent arrest of women and girls over alleged violations of the Taliban’s strict dress code, with men and women gathering to demonstrate against the morality police detentions.
CBS News reported that videos circulating on social media appear to show Taliban forces opening fire on protesters and beating them with sticks, while protesters fought back by throwing stones and chanting demands for work, education and freedom.
BBC said police used live fire to disperse the protest, and that medics told the BBC two people died, without specifying how, while others were injured.
BBC also reported that police responded to the protest and told it officers had “taken action to ensure security and maintain public order,” while witnesses said police opened fire.
Accounts of force
A protester told AFP that “used sticks, whips and firearms to disperse the crowd. They even fired shots into the air,” and the BBC reported that the protester said he saw people wounded.
The BBC also quoted a photographer who said he had seen security forces “striking protesters and firing weapons in the direction of the crowd,” and said the BBC could not independently verify the accounts.
Sayed Masoud Hosseini, spokesperson for the Herat Police Command, told the BBC the protesters “acted in a manner that disturbed public order,” and said they were trying to “create tension under the pretext of protesting issues related to the observance of hijab.”
Richard Bennett, the United Nations’ special rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Afghanistan, said on social media site X he was “alarmed by excessive use of force against seemingly peaceful protesters in Herat today,” calling on those responsible to be “held accountable.”
The BBC reported that protests against the Taliban, especially by women, have been rare since the Taliban retook power in August 2021, and that earlier attempts by women to defy strict rules petered out under officials’ response.
Detentions and pressure
CBS News reported that the protest came in response to widespread detention of women and girls in Herat in recent days by the Taliban’s morality police force for alleged violations of the group’s rules on attire, which require women to cover their hair and faces.
“Trending: West Asia war updates H1-B visa fee 12 years of PM Modi Fifa World Cup TMC crisis Peddi controversy advertisement Taliban police disperse women's rights protest in Herat over hijab detentions; several injured FP News Desk _•_ June 9, 2026, 21:26:38 IST advertisement The demonstration, rare under Taliban rule, left several people injured and drew concern from the United Nations and human rights groups”
Georgette Gagnon, acting head of the U.N. mission in Afghanistan, told the Security Council on Monday that the Taliban’s morality police had recently detained about 30 women and girls in Herat, and the U.N. mission said it was concerned over multiple arrests and detentions for alleged non-compliance with dress requirements.
The BBC reported that the crackdown in Herat was reportedly only announced on Friday and that since Saturday eyewitnesses told BBC Afghan they had “seen with their own eyes women being arrested for not wearing the hijab.”
In a statement to the BBC, the Herat Provincial Information and Culture Department said reports of dozens of arrests were “incorrect and rumoured,” while the Taliban police denied deaths and said they had taken action to maintain public order.
Richard Bennett’s call for accountability and the U.N. mission’s concerns framed what was at stake as the Taliban continued enforcing dress rules and dispersing protests in Herat.
