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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
World
Haroon Janjua

Taliban bans contraception calling use a ‘western conspiracy’

Packs of condoms at a pharmacy in the western Afghan city of Herat in December.
Packs of condoms at a pharmacy in the western Afghan city of Herat in December. Photograph: Morteza Nikoubazl/Reuters

Taliban fighters have stopped the sale of contraceptives in two of Afghanistan’s main cities, claiming their use by women is a western conspiracy to control the Muslim population.

The Guardian has learned that the Taliban has been going door to door, threatening midwives and ordering pharmacies to clear their shelves of all birth control medicines and devices.

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