Taliban chiefs have outlawed contraception such as the Pill, claiming its use is a "Western conspiracy" designed to control their population.
The ban in two major cities this week is the latest blow for women's rights in Taliban-controlled Afghanistan, with women once again barred from higher education or even going to doctor's appointments unchaperoned.
Afghan news reports Taliban officials have been going door-to-door in the capital Kabul and northern city, Mazar-e-Sharif, ordering pharmacists to clear shelves of birth control medicines and devices and even allegedly threatening midwives.
