Afghanistan's Taliban orders NGOs to ban women employees

Afghanistan's Taliban-run administration has ordered all local and foreign non-governmental organisations (NGO) to stop female employees from coming to work.

The order comes from an economy ministry letter, confirmed by economy ministry spokesperson Abdulrahman Habib on Saturday.

The letter said the female employees were not allowed to work until further notice because some had not adhered to the administration's interpretation of the Islamic dress code for women.

It was not immediately clear whether the order applied to United Nations agencies, which have a large presence in Afghanistan.

The order comes days after the Taliban-run administration ordered universities to close to women, prompting strong global condemnation and sparking some protests and heavy criticism inside Afghanistan. 

The ban on higher education came less than three months after thousands of girls and women sat university entrance exams across the country.

READ MORE: Afghan women protest in Kabul against Taliban's university ban