The Taliban have ordered hair and beauty salons in Afghanistan to shut in the latest restriction faced by women.

A Vice and Virtue Ministry spokesman said businesses had one month to comply, starting from July 2 when they were first informed of the move.

The Taliban government has not explained what prompted the ban, or what alternatives, if any, would be available to women once the salons shut, but Women’s freedoms have steadily shrunk since the Taliban seized power in 2021.

They have barred teenage girls and women from classrooms, gyms and parks, and most recently even banned them from working for the United Nations.

The Taliban have also decreed that women should be dressed in a way that only reveals their eyes, and must be accompanied by a male relative if they are travelling more than 72km (48 miles).