The news behind the veil

Afghanistan’s Taliban rulers Sunday began enforcing an order requiring all female TV news anchors to cover their faces while on the air.

After the order was announced Thursday, only a handful of news outlets complied. But Sunday, most female anchors were seen with their faces covered after the Taliban’s Vice and Virtue Ministry began enforcing the decree.

The Information and Culture Ministry previously declared the policy “final and nonnegotiable.”

A media executive confirmed his station had received the order last week, but Sunday it was forced to implement it after being told it was not up for discussion.

During the Taliban’s last time in power in Afghanistan from 1996 to 2001, they imposed overwhelming restrictions on women, requiring them to wear the all-encompassing burqa and barring them from public life and education.

After they seized power again in August, the Taliban initially appeared to have moderated their restrictions somewhat, announcing no dress code for women. But in recent weeks, they have made a sharp, hard-line pivot.