Taliban 'Flog' Afghans Who Wear Western Clothing, Price Of Burqa Doubles

The Taliban are now “flogging” young Afghans who were found wearing western-style clothing, according to a social media post.

In a now-viral post on Facebook, a young Afghan said he was walking with friends in Kabul when Taliban fighters beat them and threatened them at gunpoint for wearing western-style clothing. According to the young men, the Taliban soldiers accused them of disrespecting Islam for wearing T-shirts and jeans.

In a New York Post report, a reporter with Etilaatroz, an Afghan newspaper, was cited as saying that he was also flogged by the insurgents over the weekend for not wearing “Afghan clothes.”

The Taliban are still deciding on the dress code for men, a Taliban official told Etilaatroz, according to The Telegraph.

Reports of flogging come as Afghans voice concerns over violence under the Taliban rule. The insurgents are notorious for religious extremism and brutal punishments. Under the Taliban's reign from 1996 to 2001, Afghans who were caught wearing anything but religious clothing were beaten up or killed. Women who were seen wearing nail polish were often subjected to having their fingers cut off.

The Taliban previously required women to wear a burqa from the age of eight. The recent takeover of Afghanistan by the extremist group has resulted in a rise in the prices of burqas in Kabul.

Fahruddin Saib Zada, a merchant who sells burqas, said he sold an average of 40 of the all-enveloping garments since the Taliban took over the country on Aug. 15. Before the takeover, the merchant sold only 12 a day, according to the Los Angeles Times.

Flogging reports come even as the Taliban promised last week that no one would be harmed under their rule. However, there have been other incidents of violence reported in the past week.

In the northern part of the country, a group of Taliban fighters allegedly set an Afghan woman on fire because they weren’t satisfied with her cooking. Najla Ayoubi, a former judge, also said she received reports that women were being used by the insurgents as sex slaves.

“They are forcing people to give them food and cook them food. Also there are so many young women…in the past few weeks being shipped into neighboring countries in coffins to be used as sex slaves,” Ayoubi told Sky News.

"I don't see where is the promise that they think women should be going to work when we are seeing all of these atrocities," she added.