In a new decree, educational institutions in Afghanistan must be segregated by sex and women must wear a niqab covering most of the face

After referendum, authorities have two years to draw up legislation; exceptions expected to be made for COVID face masks

Long-planned referendum to ban certain face coverings takes on new meaning during time of global pandemic

Niqabs, long unheard of in island nation, have become more popular in recent years, but unclear how measure would have thwarted bombings