Pakistan spy chief flies to Kabul

Pakistan's spy chief Lieutenant General Faiz Hameed flew into Kabul on Saturday, sources in both capitals said.

It was not clear what his agenda was, but a senior official in Pakistan had said earlier in the week that Hameed, who heads the powerful Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) agency, could help the Taliban reorganise the Afghan military.

Washington has accused Pakistan and the ISI of backing the Taliban in the group's two-decade fight against the US-backed government in Kabul, although Islamabad has denied the charges.

Analysts have said Pakistan's role in Afghanistan will be much enhanced with the Taliban in power, although the Pakistani government has said that its influence over the movement has waned.

In Kabul, Taliban fighters broke up a demonstration by about a dozen women urging the group to respect women's rights to education and jobs, according private broadcaster Tolo news.

Footage showed women confronted by armed militants covering their mouths and coughing, and one demonstrator said the fighters had used tear gas and tasers against the participants, who had been carrying banners and a bouquet of flowers.

"They also hit women on the head with a gun magazine, and the women became bloody," said a demonstrator who gave her name as Soraya.

The Taliban imposed violent punishments and barred women and older girls from school and work when they were previously in power, but have sought to present a more moderate face this time.