In yet another measure against women's rights, Afghanistan's Taliban government said on Sunday that trasport should not be offered to women seeking to travel anything other than short distances unless they are accompanied by a close male relative. The 'guidance' was issued by Taliban's Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice.

The ministry also called on all vehicle owners to offer rides to women only if they were dressed in Islamic hijabs.

"Women travelling for more than 45 miles (72 kilometres) should not be offered a ride if they are not accompanied by a close family member," ministry spokesman Sadeq Akif Muhajir told AFP on Sunday, specifying that it must be a close male relative.