They were reacting to reports that the Taliban had closed down institutes for women training as nurses and midwives

The European Union has condemned the Taliban for violating human rights and women’s access to education after media reports that the Taliban’s leader has ordered private and public institutions to stop providing medical courses for women and girls in Afghanistan.

Afghanistan’s health ministry recently held a meeting in Kabul with heads of educational institutions to communicate a directive banning women from studying nursing and midwifery. While no formal announcement has been made, the decision is reportedly based on an edict from the Taliban’s supreme leader, according to multiple institutional sources.

This week the Taliban in Afghanistan closed one of the last remaining loopholes in their ban on education for older girls and women by forbidding them from attending institutions offering medical education.

The Taliban has banned women from training as nurses and midwives in Afghanistan, striking another blow to female health and education.

Taliban authorities in Afghanistan are reported to have banned medical schools from admitting female students, removing the last remaining opportunity for women to pursue higher education. The decree issued by the reclusive Taliban leader,