Female students at universities in Afghanistan have begun vacating their dormitories after the Taliban-led government said women will no longer be able to seek higher education in the country.
Ahmed Zia Hashemi, spokesman for the Higher Education Ministry, confirmed to Radio Azadi that the process of women leaving the dormitories had begun.
In a text message to Radio Azadi, he wrote: "Universities are closed, so what are [women] doing in the dormitories?"
A number of female students in Kabul and Nangarhar told Radio Azadi that the Taliban told them that their universities were closed and they should go home.
A student at Kabul Medical University who did not want to be identified out of concern for her security told Azadi Radio that a large number of students have gone home and others are leaving.
WATCH: Women in Afghanistan have been reacting with shock and anger since the Taliban banned them from universities.
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Afghan Women Weep And Protest Ban From University Education
A female student at the Nangarhar University Faculty of Medicine who likewise did not want to be named due to security concerns told Azadi Radio that the Taliban has closed the dormitory for women.
The Taliban announced the decision to ban women from universities on December 20 in a letter from the Higher Education Ministry to higher education institutions, drawing immediate condemnation from the international community and the United Nations.
Higher Education Minister Nida Mohammad Nadim said on December 22 that the ban was necessary to prevent the mixing of genders at universities and because he believes some subjects being taught violated the principles of Islam.
He also said female students had ignored Islamic instructions, including on what to wear, and had failed to be accompanied by a male relative when traveling.
The ban is in place until further notice, he added.
Afghan female university students are stopped by Taliban security officers at a university in Kabul on December 21.
A number of female students said Nadim's defense of the ban was unacceptable to the students and the families who sent their children to study.
"They just want to satisfy themselves and present a useless reason to the people and keep the people busy with their reasons, which are not the truth," said one student at Kabul Medical University who did not want to be identified.
Another student who also requested anonymity said it was a "very painful time."
The ban on women attending university is the latest attack on women since the Taliban seized control of Afghanistan in August last year amid the hasty withdrawal of U.S.-led forces from the war-wracked country.
The Taliban previously banned girls from attending school past the sixth grade, restricted women from holding most jobs, and ordered them to cover themselves head-to-toe when in public. Women are also banned from entering parks and gyms.
The president of Al-Azhar University condemned the closure of universities to women and asked the government to reconsider.