US warns Taliban of ‘costs’ over university ban for Afghan women

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken says a country cannot succeed 'if it denies half its population the opportunity to contribute' [File: Bonnie Cash/Pool via Reuters]

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has warned the Taliban that the United States will impose “costs” on the group if it does not reverse its recent ban on women attending university in Afghanistan.

Blinken said on Thursday that the Taliban-led government in Kabul will not be able to improve relations with the rest of the world if it continued to deny Afghan women their fundamental rights.