Russia is not rushing to recognize Taliban rule in Afghanistan: Lavrov

"We are not rushing with the recognition, just like all other countries," Lavrov told reporters.

As pictures and news emerge from Afghanistan of the Taliban enforcing their fundamentalist diktat on the movement of women and whitewashing hoardings of fashion models on streets, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has voiced deep concern over the reports of human rights violations against the women and girls in Afghanistan “who fear a return to the darkest days”.

In a tweet, Guterres said: “I am deeply concerned by accounts of human rights violations against the women and girls of Afghanistan who fear a return to the darkest days. They are looking to the international community for support. We must not let them down.”

Various media outlets have been reporting that the Taliban are beginning to establish their strict Sharia laws in Afghanistan after the fundamentalist militia group took control of the country on Sunday, overthrowing the Ashraf Ghani government.

On Tuesday, the Taliban asked women to re-join their jobs and said there is no obstacle for women if they observe the Islamic hijab.

However, despite the Taliban’s reassurances, videos of people fleeing Afghanistan in terror are flooding social media, with women saying the Taliban militants are forcibly marrying the young girls, and taking girls and young widows from each home. There are stories of rape of young girls by the militants.

Pictures are emerging on social media of Taliban militants whitewashing the colourful posters of women modelling for various products including clothes or watches.

There are also reports that the Taliban militants are going door-to-door in the areas captured by them and forcibly ‘marrying’ girls as young as twelve years into sex slavery.

There are also reports that Taliban commanders are forcing the imams in areas they have seized to bring them a list of unmarried girls for their soldiers to marry, as part of the “spoils of war”.

A statement purported to have come from the Taliban has reportedly ordered local leaders to present a list of girls of over 15 years and widows under 45.

“All imams and mullahs in captured areas should provide the Taliban with a list of girls above 15 and widows under 45 to be married to Taliban fighters,” said the letter, issued in the name of the Taliban's cultural commission.

The Taliban also ordered that women can't go to the bazaar without a male companion, and men should not shave their beards. They also banned smoking, and warned that anybody violating the rules “will be seriously dealt with”.

The Taliban say they will protect human rights, including that of women, but only according to “Islamic values”.

On Tuesday, a few Afghan women protested in the Wazir Akbar Khan area of Kabul city, calling for better representation of women in politics, governance and the economy.

(With UNI/Sputnik inputs)