Taliban leader defends treatment of women in Afghanistan.

The supreme leader of the Taliban, Hibatullah Akhundzada, released a message ahead of the Eid al-Adha holiday claiming that his government has taken necessary steps for the betterment of women's lives in Afghanistan, including protecting their Shariah rights and providing them with a comfortable and prosperous life. However, the Taliban have imposed harsh measures since seizing Afghanistan in August 2021, including barring women from public spaces and cracking down on media freedoms. Akhundzada reiterated his call for other countries to stop interfering in Afghanistan's internal affairs and condemned Israel's behavior toward the Palestinians.