Taliban forces fire on Herat protest, killing woman, child

Taliban security forces opened fire on a protest in western Afghanistan on Tuesday, killing at least one woman and a child and injuring more than a dozen others, according to local reports and witnesses. The demonstration in Herat province was sparked by the recent detention of dozens of women and girls accused of violating the Taliban's strict dress code.

The protest began around 8 a.m. in Herat's Jebrail township, where dozens of residents, including women, gathered to demand the release of those detained. Witnesses said demonstrators chanted slogans calling for education, work, and freedom. Taliban forces responded by firing on the crowd to disperse it. Videos circulating on social media appear to show security personnel shooting directly at protesters and beating them with sticks, while protesters threw stones.

A doctor at a local hospital, speaking on condition of anonymity, said at least three people were admitted with gunshot wounds. Other medical sources reported two fatalities, a woman and a child, and more than a dozen injuries. One eyewitness described seeing blood on the road, while another said they saw three people injured. The area was later heavily militarized as...