Taliban security forces shot and killed at least two people, including a child, after opening fire on a rare street demonstration in Herat (a major city in western Afghanistan) on Tuesday, with three others wounded and at least 13 detained. Around 70 protesters gathered despite a heavy Taliban presence, chanting "Education, work and freedom" in response to a wave of arrests targeting women and girls accused of violating dress codes — arrests that local activists say were made against women who were already fully covered. The violent crackdown, condemned by Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International, underscores the Taliban's near-total suppression of public dissent since retaking power, under which women have been barred from schools, universities, most jobs, and public spaces.