Taliban detain two female health workers in Bamyan: report
Two Afghan women health workers were held by the Taliban for a day in Bamyan for lacking a mahram, Hasht-e Subh reports; not yet confirmed by other sources
Women | Two Afghan women health workers were held by the Taliban for a day in Bamyan for lacking a mahram, Hasht-e Subh reports; not yet confirmed by other sources
ACW | November 15, 2026 — The Taliban insulted, threatened and detained for a day two female health workers in Afghanistan's Bamyan province because they had no male guardian, or mahram, Hasht-e Subh (8am) reported, citing unnamed sources.
The women had been sent by the Taliban-run provincial public health department to provide health services in one of Bamyan's districts, the sources told the paper on Saturday. They were stopped and questioned at a Taliban security post, the sources said.
The women were freed after giving a guarantee, the sources said, adding that the Taliban warned they would be tried and jailed if they returned to the district.
The sources said the incident raises serious concerns about the safety of female health workers in Bamyan and whether they can work. Hasht-e Subh did not name its sources, and its report carried no Taliban comment.
The report has not been independently confirmed. ACW has withheld the district's name and other details to protect the two women.
Background: Women under Taliban rule face serious restrictions on education, work and public life, Hasht-e Subh noted in the same report. ACW earlier reported Taliban bar male doctors from treating Afghan women: report.
Why it matters: The detention of two health workers sent on duty by the Taliban's own health department has raised doubts about whether women can safely deliver health care in Bamyan, Hasht-e Subh's sources said.
ACW will continue to follow this story.
Map: Afghanistan Christian Watch — Bamyan province
