Kabul: The Taliban has said that women in Afghanistan would face public floggings and stoning for adultery, proving apprehensions of the country regressing to a grim era under its rule, media reports said.

Mullah Hibatullah Akhundzada, the leader of the Taliban, announced through a state television broadcast that women in the country will be publicly flogged and stoned to death for adultery.

He reasserted that the Taliban regime would persist in the struggle against Western democracy, reported The Telegraph.

Akhundzada said in his message that the rights of women advocated by the global community clashed with the Taliban's rigid adherence to Islamic Sharia law.

“Do women want the rights that Westerners are talking about? They are against Sharia and clerics’ opinions, the clerics who toppled Western democracy,” the head of the Taliban in Afghanistan said.

“I told the Mujahedin that we tell the Westerners that we fought against you for 20 years and we will fight 20 and even more years against you. It did not finish [when you left]. It does not mean we would now just sit and drink tea. We will bring Sharia to this land. It did finish after we took over Kabul. No, we will now bring Sharia into action,” the Telegraph reported, quoting Akhundzada.

"You say it’s a violation of women’s rights when we stone them to death. But we will soon implement the punishment for adultery. We will flog women in public. We will stone them to death in public," Akhundzada boldly spoke to Western officials, in a voice message aired on state television over the weekend.

He asserted that this demonstrates the group’s commitment to Islamic law, disregarding Western notions of women's rights, reported the Telegraph.

In 2001, the US-led invasion of Afghanistan removed the Taliban from power, yet they continued to exist.

The government, supported by the West, which had governed the nation for two decades, collapsed, leading to the Taliban's resurgence after the West led by the US decided to remove its forces from the country.

After hijacking control in 2021, the Taliban carried out retaliatory attacks against those who worked with the Americans or the previous government.

They reinstated the stringent interpretation of Islamic law that was the main characteristic of their rule from 1996 to 2001.

During that period, women were prohibited from attending school or working outside their homes.

Wearing the all-encompassing burqa by women was made mandatory and they were required to be accompanied by a male relative whenever they ventured outdoors.

The Taliban also enforced bans on music, implemented amputation as punishment for theft, and carried out stonings for adultery.