Daily Archives: 11/26/2007

Canadian Woman First to Serve at Afghan Police Substation

11/26/2007

Posted by Patti under Afghanistan

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Increasingly the Taliban have taken to dressing up as women or forcing women to carry weapons for them through police checkpoints in Afghanistan. Afghani police, who are male, on the checkpoints are prohibited from searching women. The search would go against their cultural norms. Women are still largely clothed in burkas which hides their identities and are baggy enough that arms and explosives can be hidden underneath.This situation allows the Taliban free movement past checkpoints.

Meanwhile back at the base in Kandahar women deployed with the Canadian Forces military police were confined to working in the detention centre because of the cultural restrictions on women. After training together with the guys for a year in Canada, Cpl. Jennifer Lettre was close to requesting a return to Canada after being left behind in Afghanistan. That was until Mohammad Safai, Afghan National Police chief at a substation in the Zari district asked for a woman to work at the station. (more…)