The Taliban violently crushed yet another peaceful demonstration on Tuesday, as hundreds of women and men in Kabul marched in "one of the largest" protests against the militant group since it seized control roughly three weeks ago, The New York Times and The Washington Post report.
Demonstrators in the streets "were met with blows from rifle butts and hit with sticks" before warning shots began, per the Times. They were reportedly marching to denounce Taliban rule, demand women's rights, express support for the anti-Taliban resistance in the newly-captured Panjshir Valley, and condemn the neighboring country of Pakistan, which many believe to support the Taliban, per the Post and BBC.
"We were attacked by Taliban, they opened fire, some of the protesters were detained. Journalists were stopped from filming and covering the rally," one activist told the Post. She added that a Taliban vehicle drove into the crowd, and that fighters were deleting photos and videos of the protests from the phones of those seized.
Protesters were chanting "long live the resistance" and "death to Pakistan" as they marched, writes BBC.
Tuesday's demonstration was the second "involving women in the nation's capital in less than a week, and it was also the second to be crushed violently," the Times writes.
"We are not defending our right for a job or a position we will work in, we are defending the blood of our youth, we are defending our country, our land," said one woman. Read more at The New York Times and The Washington Post.