Local sources from Khost told Afghanistan International that a week ago, the Taliban took 16 women from the women's market and transferred them to the Khost Central Prison.

According to sources, the Taliban have accused these women of "not wearing the proper hijab and having illegitimate relationships”.

So far, local Taliban officials in Khost province have not commented on the matter.

Sources informed Afghanistan International on Monday that some of the detained women are residents of Lucknow and Zazi Maidan districts in Khost.

The families of the detained women say that the Taliban transferred the women to Khost Prison. They said that even after a week, the Taliban has not provided information about the reason and motive for the arrest of these women.

"The whole of Khost knows that only women go to the women's market, and the Taliban has allowed the women's market to be open, but now they have arrested women and put them in jail without any crime," said a relative of one of the detained women.

The women's market in Khost was built by the municipality during the previous government and was open after the Taliban came to power.
This women's market is located in the centre of Khost with dozens of shops, its shopkeepers are only women, and only women buy their necessities from this market.