Afghan border police on Sunday arrested a girl who wanted to carry out suicide bombing. She was arrested in Khan Neshin district of restive Helmand Province. According to Ministry of Interior, the child confessed that his brother motivated her to carry out suicide bombing and also the Ministry’s findings reveal that her brother is one of Taliban commanders. Previously, boys were arrested while trying to commit suicide attack but it is the first time that a girl is arrested for doing so. And also children who had failed to carry out suicide attacks and were arrested by security forces were released by direct order of President Karzai. With such move, Mr. President Karzai wanted to, on one hand, show his sympathy with children on the other hand give notice to militants about their cruelty against Afghan children.

Seemingly, due to gender-phobia religious and political philosophy of Taliban, women still have remained out of strategy of Taliban. According to Taliban philosophy, women are the second face of devil unlike its semi-groups in fighting against regime of President Assad in Syria. Jihadists in Syria encouraged battalions to marry women and girls for a short time to satisfy themselves sexually. The supporters argue that the practice will boost up the spirit of militants and encourage them to fight Syrian soldiers.

Despite reports of tremendous level of promiscuity among Taliban fighters, generally women are considered dirty therefore engaging with them would buy the punishment of Allah Almighty. Thus, during its rule over 96 percent of the country Taliban banned educational institutions for girls. Only small girls were allowed to get religious studies. But Taliban could not find a solution that unless girls follow study, how sick women should be treated? Similar to tens of other issues that Emarat-e-Islami had no answer for.

Thus, such anti-women philosophy restricts women to join Jihad despite various examples in the earlier Islam that women were active participants in defense of Prophet Mohammad (PBUH).

But it cannot be surprise if Taliban leadership decides to initiate women anti-government struggle because the group has had such u-turns in its policies. At the initial years of its struggle, it banned the cultivation of opium and announced it anti-Sharia. Those farmers who cultivated it used to be punished severely. But soon it got its order back and encouraged people to cultivate opium, which has now become a tragedy for the country.