Washington - (AFP) - Washington announced Wednesday new visa restrictions for Taliban members, in response to the ban on women being employed and educated in Afghanistan.

"I am taking measures today to further restrict visas for certain current or former members of the Taliban, members of non-state security groups, and other individuals deemed responsible or complicit in the oppression of women and girls in Afghanistan," US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement.

Since its return to power again in August 2021, the Taliban movement has imposed severe restrictions on Afghan women, banning women from taking government jobs, and preventing them from attending secondary schools, universities, or even public parks.

The Taliban has also banned government organizations from working with Afghan women since December, prompting several organizations to suspend their activities.

Blinken stressed that the United States will continue to work in coordination with allied countries, "with the aim of making the Taliban realize that important repercussions will follow from their actions that will close the way for improving their relations with the international community."