Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the US ambassador to the United Nations, said on Sunday it was “unconscionable” for the Taliban to order women in Afghanistan to wear face coverings.

During an appearance on CNN’s “State of the Union,” moderator Jake Tapper asked Thomas-Greenfield about the Afghan government’s new order requiring women to cover their faces in public, a throwback to sweeping restrictions that were in place by the Taliban prior to the US-led invasion.

The order also punishes the father or closest male relative of a woman caught exposing her face.

“Doesn’t that further underpin the problem of US withdrawal without a competent government in place?” Tapper asked Thomas-Greenfield.

“You know, this again shows what the Taliban are capable of,” Thomas-Greenfield told Tapper. “We said from day one that we will judge them by their actions, not their words. And these actions on Mother’s Day, I think, send a very chilling message around the world.

“We have done everything we can to support Afghan women and will continue to challenge the Taliban for their actions, both in the United States and in my role on the Security Council as President of the Security Council,” he said. added Thomas-Greenfield.

Thomas-Greenfield called the Taliban’s latest move “unconscionable”.

“What they did today is unconscionable. And I’m sure we can expect more from them,” Thomas-Greenfield said. the front.”

The Taliban took control of Afghanistan in August after the US military withdrew permanently from the country after 20 years of war following the September 11 terrorist attacks. The government has said the ideal face covering for women would be a blue burqa, the same garment worn by many Afghan women during the Taliban’s tenure before 2001.