Dozens of Afghan women protested in Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan on Tuesday against Taliban’s new order that forces women to fully cover their bodies and faces, ideally with the traditional burqa, when in public.

Taliban chief and Afghanistan’s leader, Hibatullah Akhundzada, issued a mandate on Saturday ordering women to cover up fully. Akhundzada also ordered women to stay at home if they don’t have any important matters outside. 

Any female government employee who does not follow the new dress code would be fired, while the male guardians would be suspended if their wives or daughters fail to comply.

The protesters were calling for justice and chanting ‘Burqa is not our hijab’ expressing their frustration with the new order that trades their regular headscarf to the fully coverage burqa.

After a short procession, the march was halted by Taliban fighters, who also obstructed journalists from reporting on the event, AP reports.

This new order came after a chain of others banning women from any government jobs, secondary education and traveling alone outside their cities, which prompted widespread international condemnation.

The U.S. said it will take measures to increase pressure on the Taliban government to reverse these orders that restrict the rights of women and girls. 

“We have a number of tools that, if we feel these won't be reversed, these won't be undone, that we are prepared to move forward with," State Department spokesperson Ned Price said on Monday.

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