Three foreign aid groups announced on Sunday that they were suspending their work in Afghanistan after the Taliban ordered nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) to ban women from working.

Save the Children, the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) and CARE said they could not operate without women in their workforce.

"Whilst we gain clarity on this announcement, we are suspending our programs, demanding that men and women can equally continue our lifesaving assistance in Afghanistan," the three aid groups said in a joint statement.

What is the Taliban's order?

On Saturday, the Taliban said female NGO employees were not allowed to work because some had not adhered to a strict interpretation of the Islamic dress code for women.

The decision is the latest in a string of restrictions that Afghanistan's hardline Islamist rulers have imposed since they seized power in August 2021.

It came less than a week after the Taliban banned women from attending universities.

The Taliban's crackdown on women's rights has contributed to hampering their administration's efforts to gain international recognition, which could help lift sanctions and bring in much-needed aid amid the deteriorating state of the Afghan economy.

Ban sparks international backlash

The UN condemned the ban. It said excluding women "systematically from all aspects of public and political life takes the country backward, jeopardizing efforts for any meaningful peace or stability in the country."

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock urged the international community to take a stand against the Taliban's latest restrictions on women's freedoms.

"Those who exclude women and young girls from work, from education and from public life not only ruin their country," Baerbock wrote on Twitter on Sunday.

She added, "We will try to get a clear reaction from the international community," and noted, "Sexist persecution can constitute a crime against humanity."

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the decision would be "devastating" to Afghans as it would "disrupt vital and lifesaving assistance to millions."