'Taliban militants publicly flog Afghan woman' for going to visit a doctor with her brother-in-law

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An Afghan woman has been publicly flogged by Taliban militants for going to visit a doctor with her brother-in-law, it has been reported.

It is understood that attackers wrongly thought that the woman had left her home with a stranger who was not a male relative, which would be contrary to some strict interpretations of Islamic code in certain parts of rural Afghanistan.

The man was also reportedly flogged. It later emerged that he was her brother-in-law.

Local media outlet Tolo News reports that the attack was videoed and footage has circulated online. They say that the video appears to show the woman pleading with her attackers and explaining that she urgently needed to visit the doctor but that her husband was not available to accompany her.

Local officials have confirmed the incident to the newspaper but said that “no one has officially filed a complaint against the Taliban.”

A similar incident is alleged to have taken place in the same district last week whereby a woman was subjected to public flogging over accusations that she had had a telephone conversation with a male stranger.