US and allies urge Afghanistan’s new leaders to guarantee protection for women

Internally displaced Afghan women from northern provinces, who fled their home due to fighting between the Taliban and Afghan security personnel, receive medical care in a public park in Kabul, Afghanistan (Rahmat Gul/AP)

The US State Department has released a joint statement signed by about two dozen nations expressing concern for the rights of Afghan women and girls and urging those in power in Afghanistan to “guarantee their protection”.

Wednesday’s statement was signed by the United States, the UK, the European Union and 18 other countries.