Something that had never occurred to me in the aftermath of the earthquake.
Afghan women were left to die in the wake of the country’s 6.6 magnitude earthquake because of Taliban rules forbidding unrelated men from having contact with them, The Telegraph has been told.
The quake killed thousands of people and devastated homes across the country’s mountainous areas on Sunday, with two powerful aftershocks on Friday raising fears of more death and destruction.
Survivors say the Taliban’s draconian restrictions – as much as the tremors – have cost Afghan women their lives.
It took rescuers 20 hours to reach Devagarh village on Monday in one of the worst-hit areas. When they did arrive, the women hid behind the broken walls of their houses after seeing the all-male rescue team, one rescuer told The Telegraph.
“We can’t speak with the women or try to contact them because it’s prohibited. Touching even a dead woman will have consequences,” he said, seeking anonymity.
This is beyond sad, the cultural differences are so enormous.
